Pinky Promise
by Runaway Wordette
Summary: It all begins with two five year olds who share a pinky promise to be best friends forever. Now those two five year olds are juniors. Will new unknown feelings, jealous brothers, and highschool drama tear them a part? Or will it tie them together in new ways?
1. The Beginning

**Hello there! This is the beginning of what I hope with be a successful story! :) This is the beginning to hours of fun writing and ideas... I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's just a prolouge, trust me, the next chapter is wayyyy better. I've always wanted to type one of these AUs! I want a Sasuke like this! Wahhhh! Anyways... I love reviews so...**

**I don't own Naruto... I would have done one hell of a better job with Sakura's character. Strong Sakuras.. UNITE!**

**Okey Dokey then! I'll update every week so don't worry! And so the journey starts...**

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><p>Sasuke was annoyed. Pure, deadly serious, irritation. How, may you ask is it possible for a five year old to be annoyed on this adult level? Pink hair. The source of his venomous annoyance was silky pinky hair.<p>

It was so bright that it made him want to keep looking at it. It was fun to look at. But he had to concentrate on his colors. When he learned his colors, he would go home and impress mommy and big brother. He would tell them all the colors and show them his crayons. The bright pink hair was distracting him. Distractions annoyed him.

The little girl next to him shifted. She blinked her wide jade eyes and gave an adorable yawn. She decided to play with her hair- the teacher's lesson about colors was boring because she had already learned colors, so why not? She clumsily pulled out her braid with slightly chubby five year old fingers and began to comb it out.

The boy next to her stiffened and she felt eyes on her. She turned to see her seatmate, the little boy with dark eyes, staring at her. Wait, not staring… There was a word for this. She stumbled around her surprisingly large vocabulary for one so young and found the word.

Glaring. This little boy was glaring at her. She narrowed her innocent, wide eyes and glared back. She sniffed and turned back to face the teacher. Stupid. Meanie. Poop face. Her young mind was so indignant, that it began to conjure different and assorted insults for the dark haired "piggy nosed ugly face" next to her.

When recess came, Sasuke ran to sit by his tree. It was a pretty willow tree, farther away from the teachers than any other kid was brave enough to go. It was where he thought about all the things that annoyed him. There was no question that it was his tree.

He huffed his chubby cheeks and plopped himself down. He glared at nothing in particular, angry about how his seatmate had glared at him. No one glares at me! He slammed his chubby little fist on the ground.

Suddenly, he heard something. He heard a lunchbox open and close. He stiffened. No one better be sitting by his tree but him. He stomped over to where the sound had come from and pushed through some fronds that hung gracefully from the tree.

They revealed a pretty little girl with b pink hair and green eyes. Her eyes were really green. They were fun to look at too. The little girl stared in surprise then started to look at him in a mean way. She stood up and stomped over to me.

I glared too. She distracted me from my colors. "You're annoying," I shouted in a loud voice.

"You're stupid!" she yelled back.

"I know you are but what am I?"

"A butt head, that's what you are!"

"I know you are but what am I!" I smirked. Big Brother had taught me this response and it always won.

Suddenly the little girl stepped forward and punched me in the stomach. I fell over and grabbed my stomach, screaming and crying. Maybe Big Brother's response didn't always win.

I looked down at the meanie who called me annoying. He was rolling around and crying. That was what he deserved. I saw the tears on his face and I started to feel bad. He looked so sad…

I kneeled down and put my hand on his shoulder. "Shhh, it's ok," I said, copying what daddy always said to me.

He looked up at me with wet eyes and I tried my best to give the reassuring smile daddy always gave me when I asked if mommy was happy where she had went.

The boy sniffled and sat up. "What's your name," I asked, curiously.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" He said in a grown up voice. I giggled and he frowned.

"What's yours," he asked.

"Sakura, like cherry blossoms because of my hair!" I cried proudly.

He looked thoughtful for a minute before replying, "Sakura, I'm gonna be your best friend."

I blinked then grinned. "Promise," I asked.

"Uh huh." He said quickly, nodding really hard.

"Then I'll be your best friend!"

For the first time since I saw him the little boy smiled. "Pinkie promise," he said happily.

We quickly linked pinkies and I grinned real big and happy cause I got a new best friend. His name was Sasuke and we'll be best friends forever and ever.


	2. Whipped Cream War Junk Food Treaty

***tear* They grow up so fast! *sniffle* Nowwwww, the story begins. Yes, they are now hormone filled, PMS-ing Juniors... This is where the fun starts... Don't worry there will be no lemon in here. Blech. ANYways, I hope you like it! ANd please don't give me crap if you think they're out of character, because this is how I want them to be so this is how I wrote them! They're pretty in character but again, this is my little Sakusasu fantasy, don't expect something that will rival the real Anime...**

**I do not own Naruto but I do own a Neji keychain that came in the mail today! EEEP! I got it off ebay! :D It is currently on my figure skating bag where I grin at it periodicly... Hope I'm not creeping him out...**

**SO enjoy!**

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><p>"Sakura… Sakura…"<p>

I glared at her as she continued to slowly trace her gaze across the black print in her text book. Her slim form was curled up around her chemistry textbook on the tan leather couch in my room. She wore faded blue jeans and a navy blue t-shirt that complimented her fair complexion. Her waterfall of shimmering pink hair was loose and formed a half curtain around her focused and intent face.

I continued to glare at her, not sure if she was ignoring me purposely or if she had gone in her scholarly trance as she often did. Sometimes I would come over to find her feverishly scribbling answers to math problems and essays without blinking. Her dad would tell me that she had been going at it for hours without eating or drinking. It was hard to bring her back to earth when it happened, but it was no excuse to ignore me.

I bristled with indignation when she didn't respond to my attempts to get her attention, even when I whacked her legs with a pillow. Finally, I stood up with a devilish smirk on my face. I walked over to the mini fridge my parents had gotten me and pulled out the whipped cream I kept in there because Sakura refused to eat ice cream without it. I walked over to her then aimed the nozzle straight at her face.

"I'm counting to three, Sakura." Her petite form didn't even stir.

"One… Two… Three…"

Whipped cream flew out of the can, instantly covering her in a sticky layer. When the can ran out and she was thoroughly covered I stopped. Her eyes slowly focused and she blinked. She raised her arm and the almond shaped emerald eyes became murderous when she saw it's whipped cream glory.

"Saaaaaasssssuuukkeeeee…."

Shit. Shit, shit, shitty, shit. I bolted out of the room and began to sprint down the stairs. I yanked open the door that led to the kitchen and raced in feverishly looking around for what I needed. I heard light footsteps coming and I began to yank open drawers desperately.

Itatchi walked in and smirked when he saw me riffling through drawers.

"Let me guess."

"Shut your fucking mouth," I snapped, becoming increasingly desperate.

"You pissed off Sakura and now there's hell to pay."

The door swung open at a miraculous speed and slammed into the wall. It revealed a whipped cream covered Sakura. Random streaks of white covered her waist length hair and her slim form was coated in whipped cream.

The terrifying emerald gaze narrowed, finding its target. Oh shit.

I heard Itachi guwaff as he took in Sakura's appearance.

"How'd you expect to get out of this one alive, dip shit," he snickered.

I didn't bother to even glare at him, my eyes trained on Sakura, waiting for her to lunge for my throat. Desperately I reached in a drawer and finally found what I had searched for. A nice long butcher's knife.

Sakua's voice came, chilling and cold. "Itachi."

"Yes?" he replied with glee.

"Call the painter, they need to repaint the walls."

"Why, dearest Sakura?" he asked innocently.

"They're going to be covered with BLOOD!" Her voice rose on the word blood and she lunged. I dropped the knife and ran. Itachi was roaring with laughter as I darted out of the kitchen, through the door that led to the lawn and I began to sprint down the street.

I heard feet slapping the road behind me and I didn't need to turn to see track star—Sakura Haruno chasing me. What the hell was I thinking?

Then, I saw my salvation. The bitchy little girl who lived down the street that stalked me- even though she was only eleven. Psycho. She was cheerily riding her bike down the street. Her bike with pink tassels, Barbie stickers, and glitter. How I despised glitter.

Glitter or Emergency room… I ran up to the little girl, shoved her off the bike, jumped and began to pedal away like mad. Ignored the high pitched shriek from the brat and figured when she realized that I was the one who mugged her, she would be in heaven for days.

I knew that I probably looked like some circus midget riding the teeny tiny bike but I would take this any day compared to Sakura's wrath.

We've been best friends since she belted me in the stomach when we were five. I shook my head and a small smile lit my face. Some things never changed. We'd sat under that willow tree every recess and talked, bickered, and formed a bond that would never be broken. In junior high we were inseparable. Every project we did together. Every field trip we were buddies for the buddy system. Every assembly we sat next to each other and snickered at the other's snarky jokes about the principle. First day of high school, Sakura clung to my arm as we walked through the doors. I pretended she was just being silly, but if she hadn't clung to me, I might have just clung to her. Now we were juniors. Nothing had changed, we were still best friends.

I sighed with contentment, and then remembered my problem. I had long since lost Sakura, due to my Barbie princess ride, but I needed to figure out how to convince her that killing me was a bad idea. After all, she practically lived at my house, so there was no way I could waltz back up to my room unscathed.

I smiled when I got my idea. I quickly turned on the street that led to Sakura's favorite pizza place and the seven eleven. Every Friday, Sakura and I would go to the pizza place and she would get a pepperoni and pineapple pizza and I would get my anchovy one. Then we'd stock up on junk food at the seven eleven, get a couple movies from the redbox and head to my house, because my room had a bigger tv, and watch all the movies, eat practically all the junk food and pizza then watch movies till three in the morning. We'd wake up at twelve in the afternoon then finish the rest of the pizza and we'd eat whatever was left of the junk food. I loved those days more than anything else. I wouldn't trade them for the world.

I parked the bike outside the pizza place and ordered the pizzas. While the pizzas were being made I hit the seven eleven and bought Sakura's sour skittles, peanut m&ms, and her ginourmous box of milk duds. Not to mention my junior mints, starbursts, and raisenettes. I picked up one violent movie then got the pizza and started the five minute ride home. We could pretend it was Friday, even if it was Thursday.

I hoped that Sakura, the freaking future valedictorian of all highschooldom had finished her ridiculous amount of AP homework. Sakura was on the fast track to Har-freakin-vard. She played Soccer, tennis, water polo, volleyball, and did track. She was a part of a ridiculous amount of clubs and kept straight As. How she does it, I'll never know.

It's not like I get Bs and take CP classes, I take a load of AP classes and get As as well, but I don't get consecutive A+s. I rode into my drive way and grabbed the pizza, movie and junk food off of the conveniently placed magenta pink Barbie princess _mermaid_ basket.

I took a deep breath and walked in. Sakura was sitting on the couch with Itachi. She wore an old shirt and pair of sweats of mine. Her hair was wet and fell gracefully around her face. She was absentmindedly chatting with Itachi as she scribbled in her industrial sized calculus notebook. She always chatted while doing math. Math was too simple for her.

Itachi was laughing at something that she said and she had a vacant smile on her face as she continued to scribble. An unpleasant feeling bubbled in my stomach. It started recently and came back whenever Sakura was chatting with Itachi. I still hadn't figured out what it was but I shoved it away.

"Sakuraaa?" I said tentively.

Her head snapped up and she glared. "You.."

I cringed.

"You… You, You!" she spluttered.

Her voice was rapidly rising and she began to get up.

"You... You… You Asshole!

I shrank back and raised the pizza and junk food into the air with one hand and waved the DVD in front of my face with the other. I cracked open one eye and watched as her face began to relax.

She grinned at the DVD and when she saw the sour skittles she broke. She ran at me and gave me a big hug, wrapping her arms around me. She smelled like vanilla and apples- her favorite shampoo and conditioner. I knew because she kept some of her shampoo and conditioner at my house. She was here so often and she refused to use my stuff because she hated smelling like as she put it "like a mini Sasuke".

I felt my face turn a little pink as I gently dropped the goodies I had brought and wrapped my arms around her. Why was my face turning pink? I looked over at Itachi to see him glowering. I raised an eyebrow and he turned his head angrily away.

Sakura pulled back and flashed her dazzling grin before grabbing the candy, pizza, movie, and her notebook then sprinted up the stairs.

She turned back when she reached the stop step and gave me a devilish grin. I flinched and knew I was in for something.

"Sasuke," she called in a honey sweet voice.

"Yes," I gulped.

"Bring the leather cleaner."

"Why," I asked suspiciously.

"I wiped the whipped cream on your sofa. _You_ can clean it up."


	3. My Abs Are Better

**Hello again! I'm on break! You know what that means? Hours of time to me, myself and I! No PMS-ing brats from school to deal with! No bipolar teachers! I'm free! What this means for you lucky readers is that I will update quicker and sooner! When shool starts again, be prepared for a couple pages of complaining as Author's Notes...**

**Anywayyys... I'm really enjoying writing this... I'm making the Sasuke wayyyy to sappy but, what the hell? I can do what I want. I hate when people complain about "OCC". We as fanfiction authors get to _interpret_** **the characters as we want. No one has the right to say that our way of seeing the character is _wrong_. If you don't like the way the characters are depicted, oh well. Find a different story. Don't bitch about it in reviews. "You make Sasuke out of character" isn't going to help me grow as a writer. It's going to make me pissed.**

**My annoying little rant aside, thanks for reading! I really appreciate the people who are bothering to read this story and taking the time to read my lenghty author's notes. And, as you all know, the people who review hold a special place in my heart. **

**Thank you again!**

**Disclaimer: THEY'RE ALL MINE! I OWN THEIR SOULS! Not. I don't own Naruto. *sigh* (looks out window like they do in depressing movies)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>I sighed and pushed my now damp bangs out of my face. I rocked back on my heels and nearly threw the leather cleaner at the wall. Screw couches. Screw leather. Screw the freaking cows that made leather.<p>

I had finally restored my couch to its previous condition. All the while Sakura had snickered and made sarcastic jokes while she finished her homework.

I heard a light laugh and glared at Sakura. She sat in the swivel chair at my desk, repeatedly spinning herself in circles. Her hair had long since dried to its usual perfectly straight cascading waterfall. She was still wearing my old stuff. She always wore my old stuff. I didn't mind at all. When I asked her why she wore my old stuff even when she has her own freaking drawer dedicated to everything she leaves and forgets at my house she just rolled her eyes and replied, "You're such a guy." A water balloon fight that had the same results as my whipped cream mistake had ended the conversation.

Sakura grinned when I huffed and managed to stop herself on the corner of my desk. She ran her fingers through her hair and said, "Go take a shower; I want to watch the movie and eat my pizza."

I just glared and she gave me an exasperated sigh. She picked up my pizza and waved it through the air tantalizingly. "Come on sharkboy, I know you want your pizza too."

I rolled my eyes and got up slowly replying, "Shut up, lavagirl." Every once in a while we'd call each other sharkboy and lavagirl because of my love for anchovy pizza and her pink hair. It annoyed the hell out of the other.

Sakura just shook her head and replied, "If I weren't tired then you'd be so screwed."

I pulled open my chestnut drawer and pulled out a pair of basketball shorts and an old t-shirt. I headed into the bathroom and shouted back, "Your fault for thinking you can manage volleyball practice and being captain of the soccer team in the same day."

A pillow hit the door just as I closed it and I smirked.

When I finished my two minute shower, I came out in my old Pjs and shook my wet hair like a dog, successfully creating a spray of water.

Sakura yelped and another pillow hit my head. I snickered and let myself fall on the couch next to her. I leaned my head back and sighed. Sakura looked at me concerned.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

I heard an irritated sigh and felt a pinch on my arm.

It was my turn to yelp and I looked incredulously at Sakura. "Tell me what's wrong," she said softly.

I groaned and ran my fingers through my wet hair. "A tournament is coming up and Guy is making me help train the team."

Sakura nodded. I knew she understood because she was soccer team captain too for the varsity girls. She knew what it was like to have to make your own friends work and tell them what to do. It was hard and awkward and you were always worried that you would make someone mad and start conflict. You were always on your toes trying to figure out how to make the team train hard without offending people.

She grabbed my hand and said, "It'll be alright. You did an awesome job with the guys last years and they respect that. They'll trust you this year, they won't start any problems if you push them."

I relaxed and smiled at Sakura. She always knew exactly what to say to make me feel better. "Thanks," I muttered.

"No problem sharkboy!" She bounced up with a grin. "Can you unfold the couch?"

I groaned and she gave me big emerald puppy dog eyes. "Fine."

Sakura giggled and opened the pizza boxes on my desk. The familiar scent of pineapple, anchovy and pepperoni mixed spread through the room. I got off the couch and started converting it to bed form.

We always sat on the couch together when we watched movies. Sometimes I pulled it out into the makeshift bed and sometimes we just kept it in couch form. Whenever Sakura slept over, she slept on the makeshift bed. She loved my purple Vikings blanket. The team sucked and hardly ever won, but my dad insisted on ordering me and Itachi a giant fuzzy Vikings blanket. I didn't really care about it, but Sakura loved it.

After about two minutes, the couch had finally become a bed. As I stood back Sakura ran past me with her purple blanket and threw herself on the flimsy mattress. It sagged under her slight weight and I shook my head. The old thing probably should have died years ago, but somehow it held together.

"Don't break it, you whale," I snorted.

A couple milk duds bounced off the back of my head and I could almost hear Sakura not caring. Sakura was perfectly slim. It came from all her sports and she had a crazy high metabolism because of the calories she burnt. That was why she could eat a whole pizza and three big bags of candy without gaining an ounce. She, unlike most girls, didn't care at all about her weight. Thus, her ignoring my whale joke when another girl would have bawled and ran out sobbing. I like that about her.

I lay down on the mattress next to her after grabbing the remote and my pile of junk. I looked at her plaintively until she sighed and gave me some of the purple blanket. I grinned and settled back into the comfortable pillow, stuffing a handful of raisenettes in my mouth as I did so. I ate the weirdest things like anchovy pizza and raisenettes, but I must be doing something right. Or so my six pack tells me.

"Press play!" she yelled, becoming impatient. I considered throwing the remote to the other side of the room just to piss her off but decided that in the end I would be the one who lost from that.

I fished the dinosaur age remote out of the blanket and jammed my finger on the faded play button about five billion times before it finally worked.

I settled down one last time and allowed my eyes to glaze over and enjoy the mindless violence. The movie had practically no plot or character depth. No, this movie was for the purpose of satisfying the teenage need for violence.

Whenever a particularly ridiculous kill was made or someone managed to stand up after being gored about eighteen times, Sakura would laugh. Another thing I liked about Sakura- she had the ability to watch extremely bloody, violent, and horrifying movies and giggle. Sometimes she was more interesting to watch than the movie. Her facial expressions were hilarious. She would scrunch up her face, roll her eyes, smile ever so slightly and shake her head.

Shaking me out of my thoughts, Sakura pointed at the young Roman hero and said, "He has nice abs."

I bristled and glared at her. Sakura ignored me and continued to pop sour skittles into her mouth.

"What," I growled.

She bothered to look at me and raised a perfect eyebrow. "What," she asked confused.

"What did you say?' I bit out.

"He has nice abs." she said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I snorted and muttered, "Not as nice as mine."

Sakura looked at me for a minute then burst out in laugher. She grabbed her stomach and started to roll around, all the while letting out guawaffs.

Sakura had many different laughs, depending on her level of amusement. The fist is a soft little chuckle. The next is a bell like tinkle for when she thinks something is rather funny. The last laugh is my favorite. It is a full out snorting, sniggering, guaffing, resounding laugh. It was perfect.

But at this moment, I did not want to hear that laugh.

"Sakura," I growled. That just seemed to make her laugh harder. Tears had begun to collect at the corners of her eyes.

"Y-y-yesssss, S-s-sas-u-k-k-eeee?"

I glared harder and she began to laugh even harder, if that was at all possible. About half an hour later she was clutching her stomach, but done laughing. She wiped the corners of her eyes and she still had a goofy grin on her face.

"Are you done," I snapped.

She giggled and my eye twitched. "I have a stomachache now from all the laughing,"

Are you sure it's not from your pig fest with the pizza?"

"Screw you," she muttered. She snuggled down into the pillows and turned her eyes back onto the tv screen.

I sighed and flicked her head. "You're spending the night."

"Mmmk," she yawned, too tired to argue about me ordering her around. "I'll just wear your jeans and t-shirt to school tomorrow," she giggled.

I rolled my eyes. "You would look like one pink hipster."

She giggled again and shook her head. "God, Ino would kill me."

Saskue laughed when he thought about what Sakura's fashion loving friend would do if she showed up to school in my clothes. Have a stroke, revive, then strangle Sakura. "You have your a whole drawer to pick from, my mom just did laundry."

We've long since dedicated a drawer to Sakura and refer it as "her drawer". It's full of the stuff she leaves at my house and doesn't bother to empty it out. She spends the night all the time, so It just wouldn't be worth it. She even keeps and extra toothbrush and hair stuff in there.

It would have been awkward for any other high school guy or girl to spend the night at each other's house, but for us it was beyond natural. We had spent the night at each other's house when we were _five_. Why not at sixteen and seventeen?

I was jolted out of my thoughts when I felt something gently slide onto my shoulder. I looked down and felt a soft smile form on my face. Sakura's head was gently resting on my shoulder, her eyes closed and her pink hair prettily framing her face with random wisps. Her lips were slightly parted and I could hear her soft breaths.

I reached out slowly and gently stroked the side of her face. Her pale skin was satiny and smooth. An innocent smile formed on her face and she unconsciously snuggled closer into my shoulder. Gently, I raised my arm and settled it around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

Her rosebud lips smiled again and I found myself with my own happy smile. What the hell was I doing? Warning alarms were going off in my head as I gently stroked her face. There was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach and unlike the other one, it was happy. Kind of… Tender.

My mind was screaming at me to get up but something held me there. Maybe it was the scent of vanilla and apples, her warmth, or the satiny feeling of her skin, but I couldn't move.

I heard the door creak open and I looked up to see Itachi. There was a surprised expression on his face and he held one of Sakura's textbooks. I raised a finger to my lips and made a Shhh sign. The surprised expression morphed to a slightly angry one and he tossed the textbook on my bed in a jerky way.

He turned on his heel and stalked away. I felt the confusion on my face and shook my head. Who knows what goes through Itachi's mind?

I stroked Sakura's face one last time before I forced myself to slowly untangle myself from her and stand up. A small frown had formed on her face at the absence of warmth and her hand was wrapped around a pillow.

I sighed and shook my head. She worked too hard. One day she was going to wear herself out. I draped an extra blanket over her and turned on the fan and flicked the light switch off. She always slept with the fan on.

I climbed into my own bed and pulled the covers over my head, enveloping me in darkness. In the safety of my own dark comforter I finally was able to inspect the muddled feelings whirling through my head. After about ten minutes of useless inspection, I gave up and let myself drift off to sleep.

The last image that flashed through my mind was of bright jade eyes. My sleepy state felt a bit of surprise before drifting off.


	4. I Have What You Want

**Well aren't I a nice person. Updating twice in one day. You know how to repay me... Reviews! For some reason this story is sooo... Easy to write! I'm loving it! I'm liking the whole AU thing... I'm thinking about doing another when this one is done. Leme know what you think!**

**Also, I am as Sasuke would put it "a dobe" for putting OCC in my little rant. I mean OOC. Yes I am an idiot. **

**And yeah, I don't own Naruto. Such a shame.**

**Letters4U: You dangerously inflated my happiness level when you called my chapter badass. :D This chapter will probably answer that, but I'm not sure how the whole jealousy thing with play out. I'm literally making the story line up as I write so if you have any prefrences as to how the story is gonna play out, or any ideas... I would love to hear em!**

**That goes for everyone! Any ideas or pairings, prefrences and such. All will be accounted and dualy noted...**

**Blah, blah. blah. I'm donee, I'm done.**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>Something was whacking me. Something was repeatedly hitting my head and disturbing my rest. I swear to God, when I get up, I'm beating the living shit out of whatever that thing was.<p>

I moaned and rolled over. I blearily opened my eyes and saw pink. Pink was a pretty color… I felt something whack me again and I registered that it was a pillow.

"Go… Die… In… A fucking… hole."

"Aww, Sauceykay, I'm hurt." I looked up to see a girl. She had pink hair. Hm. It was pretty pink hair. Her eyes were green too. Pretty green. Like apples… But prettier… Her pretty face looked exasperated and I saw a blur of white before I felt the pillow again.

"Are you hung over or something?"

Oh. My mind clicked. That's Sakura. I forced my legs to push me up and I stood, staggering. Sakura giggled and I glared, while swaying.

"I'm taking my shower first," she called out, flouncing into the bathroom, her stuff in hand. I began to protest but she shut the door and locked it, snickering.

I sighed and started to rummage through my closet. Grabbing clothes at random, I managed to pick out an acceptable outfit. I ran my fingers through my hair and decided to use the extra bathroom in the hallway.

I grabbed all my stuff and jogged out and down the stairs. I was just opening the bathroom door when I saw Itachi glaring at me from the kitchen.

"Hey…" I said in a questioning voice.

"Hey," he bit out. I raised an eyebrow and leaned against the bathroom door.

"What's up?"

"Nothing. How's Sakura?"

Now I raised both eyebrows. "Fine…"

Itachi snorted and looked away.

I decided that I wouldn't be able to get anything else out of him so I let myself in the bathroom to take my shower.

What was up with Itachi? Lately he had been growing touchier and touchier around Sakura. He would jump when she entered the room. Grin when she chatted with him. Come with me to all her games. Ask about her and when she was coming over.

I didn't like it. I goddam hated it. I wanted to rip his head off.

I sighed and stepped out of the bathroom in my school clothes. My hair was wet so I rubbed it with the towel a few times.

I jogged into the kitchen and grimaced when I thought of having to sit with Itachi. I sucked it up and let myself in. Itachi glanced up then went back to his book. Seniors had to read the book Great Expectations as light reading.

I reached in our well stocked pantry and pulled out the coco puffs and pulled the milk out of the fridge. Sakura loved coco puffs, but they had to be soggy. I filled her bowl with them and set them out to soak. Itachi glanced up but said nothing. I made my own bowl of frootloops and sat down, munching contentedly.

The kitchen door opened and Sakura breezed in. Her presence filled up the room as she began to happily chatter.

"Sasuke, you stole all my hot water." She playfully punched me on the arm and I could tell she wasn't mad at all because of the brilliant smile on her face.

"I have water polo after school, can you pick me up?"

Before I could say anything, Itachi cut in. "I will." He gave Sakura a slight smile which in Itachi language meant: I love you, live with me forever, bear my children.

I glared and cleared my throat. "I'll pick you up, Sakura, we have to grab pizza."

Itachi glared right back. "Sakura and I can pick it up."

"No, Sakura and I always get the pizza.

"Well maybe I can get the pizza with Sakura."

"Maybe Sakura doesn't want to go with you. Ever think of that?"

"Well what if she does?"

We both broke off and looked at Sakura. Her mouth was open in surprise and she was looking back and forth between the two of us.

"Who do you want to go with, Sakura?" asked Itachi, shooting a glare at me.

"I-I-I-"

Suddenly my mom walked in and said, "Hey guys where's the…" She stopped and looked at us all. Itachi and I were shooting glares at each other while glancing at Sakura. Sakura had her mouth open and she was flinching just a little bit.

Sakura saw her chance and took it. "I know where it is!" she grabbed my mom and pulled her out of the kitchen.

I turned at Itachi and let my frustration bubble over. "What the hell was that?"

Itachi glared right back. "Oh, so I can't be friends with Sakura now?"

I recoiled and retorted, "Well scaring the living shit out of her won't make her your friend!"

Itachi snorted, "Like you'd actually let me be her friend! Oh no, it's I'm going with Sakura here, Sakura is coming with me here, I going to go upstairs and watch a movie and snuggle with Sakura! Where the hell does Itachi fit in?"

My mouth was hanging open in shock and I glared. Itachi was… jealous? I shook my head violently and snatched Sakura's bowl off the countertop. I violently pushed against the door and let it slam behind me.

I ran up the stairs, trying not to slosh Sakura's cereal everywhere. I opened the door to my room and found Sakura jamming notebooks into her bright green jansport backpack.

She looked up and saw me. She grinned automatically and then raised an eyebrow. Did I just hear a door slam? I nodded sheepishly.

"Come on," I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door. She snatched at her backpack strap and managed to grab it before she was hauled out of my room, down the stairs and into the garage. She watched while I grabbed the keys and garage opener off the hook and opened the passenger door to my black old ford and held it open.

She gave me a confused look and I heard someone coming. I jammed the garage opener and gestured wildly for her to get in the car. She must have seen something in my face because she jumped into the car and grabbed the cereal out of my hands. I practically sprinted to the driver's side and jumped in. I heard the garage door open and I slammed on the gas pedal.

We shot out of the garage and into the street. Wheels screeched as I maneuvered the wheel to get us going in the right direction. As I shifted into drive I glance into my mirror and saw an absolutely livid Itachi, glaring at us from the driveway.

Then I slammed on the gas and we were gone. Once we were a safe three blocks from my house I slowed down and relaxed. I took a deep breath and glanced at Sakura.

She was looking at me with a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

"I think Itachi wanted a ride."

I snorted and snapped, "Like hell he did."

I heard her lilting chuckle and practically felt her roll her eyes. She started on her cereal cheerily, just like I knew she would. I sighed and said, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head and said, "Don't be, I just want to know what the hell is going on."

I looked at her and forced a grin. "Itachi and I are fighting."

She looked me like I was an idiot. "Noooooooo, you guys are just chummy!"

I sighed and said, "He's been acting weird lately and I think he's just trying to annoy me by trying to steal you."

Sakura blinked and looked away. I tensed and watched her out of the corner of my eye.

"Well we can't have that, now can we?" I looked at her and she gave me a grin.

I grinned back, instantly relieved. I stuck out my pinky and said, "Best friends forever?"

Her eyes sparkled at our usual term. "Best friends forever."

She twined her delicate finger around mine and we both laughed. She let go and I put my extra hand back on the wheel.

I wondered if I really believed what I had said. What if Itachi hadn't been trying to get to me? What if he was trying to do something that didn't involve me at all…

All I knew is that I hated it. Sakura was _mine_.


	5. Compete?

**Here we are again! I'm getting irritated, because this story is getting harder to write... Blehhh. Don't worry, I'll finish it through to the end :) **

**So, seriously guys, any pairings you want or events... TELL ME! I'm about to decide the fate of this story and your ideas way just be put in...**

**I couldn't resist bringing in Kiba. I. Freaking. Love. Kiba. I wanna write a Sakura Kiba fic now... (que the sasusak fans barfing now) Hey, be grateful I didn't say LEE and Sakura! MWUAHAHA, i JUST SCARRED YOU FOR LIFE!**

**I just realized what a sad lack of Naruto, Tenten, Neji, and all the other amazing characters this story has! AHHH, time to fix it! The next chapter with have more people in... I think... Again, I still gotta write a plot line for this baby!**

**Disclaimer: Anyone wanna buy me Naruto? Hm? Hm? Cause ya know... I DON'T OWN IT!**

**P.S. IMPORTANT! READ NOW! IGNORE THE OTHER CRAP IF YOU WANT TO BUT READ THIS!**

**If you guys don't tell me who you want Sakura to end up with between Sasuke and Kiba... It may be Kiba and the you'd all hate me because you're sasusak fans. Or she could end up all alone... THEN I'D HAVE TO WRITE A SEQUEL WITH THEM ALL IN COLLEGE! So, any of those three options... Who am I kiding, no one reads author notes, I ain't gettin' no reviews!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>I sighed. One more period left. The last period was always the hardest.<p>

I walked into AP Chem and sat down on the butt numbing stools that only science rooms held. I looked around at the various periodic tables on the wall and sighed again. Usually I enjoyed chemistry, but I was aching for something to do that involved physical activity.

I groaned as our teacher Iruka walked in. He immediately began the lesson and I didn't even bother trying to listen. I had just resigned myself to a long and painful class period when Guy burst into the room, in all his spandex glory.

"ALL VARSITY SOCCER TEAM MEMEBERS! TO THE FIELDS FOR AN EXTRA PRACTICE DAY! YOSH!"

Just as quickly, he was gone. I grinned and stood up, as did a couple other students. At that moment I blessed Guy and his stupid bowl haircut for getting me out of class. Yosh.

I jogged through the corridor till I reached the locker room. I found Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji already there. "Hey," I called, starting to change.

They were all grinning. Apparently they felt the same as I did about the last period on a Friday. They all nodded and waited for me to finish changing. Two minutes later, we were out on the field. I was surprised to see the girl's team on one side of the field. Then I remembered that Guy had never said male or female varsity.

That meant… There she was. Her hair was tied back, but the ponytail was still long enough to almost touch her waist. She wore short black running shorts and a slim fitting white Konoha High Soccer Team t-shirt. She wore her white cleats and black socks with the red captain band wrapped around one of her ankles.

She was nailing soccer balls, one after another into the goal. It was incredible. Her foot made the perfect smack noise each time and the ball curved gracefully into the top corners of the net each time.

Sakura Haruno kicked ass. If you were playing on a team with Sakura, you won. No question. If you weren't on the same team as her, you got the hell out of her way. She was a force to be reckoned with. She never cheated, but she wasn't afraid to be aggressive. She knew how to slide tackle and drop her shoulder. She was scary good. The only person who had ever beaten her was me. It annoyed the crap out of her. She would never admit it, but we were evenly matched. It was the only sport she had an equal in. Sometimes she would win in a standoff against me, sometimes I would win. But to win, I had to work for it. And I mean hard. I always teased her about how she would decide what sport she would get her college scholarship for. She had more than a few choices. But I knew her true passion lied in soccer.

I blinked and focused my eyes. I looked back over to her and now she was doing one v one with the other girls. The other girls seemed to be resigned whenever they were matched up against her. Her footwork was frustratingly impeccable. She flicked the ball around and through her opponent each time. It was child's play for her. I snickered and turned away.

Neji was raising his eyebrows at me. I quickly looked away and I started a conversation with Shikamaru, which was not a simple thing to do.

I felt a jab on my arm and turned to glare at Neji. "Someone checking out the other captain?" He muttered low enough so only I heard him.

I glared and shook my head. "I was just trying to find her."

"And then stare at her?"

I venomously glared, "It. Was. Not. Staring."

"Er- Neji, the Teme looks like he wants to hurt you…"

Neji chuckled and started to chat with Naruto.

I wasn't staring. I wasn't staring. Was I?

"YOUTHFUL FOUNTAINS OF HIGHSCHOOL YOUTHYNESS! COME HERE TO MEET WITH THE CO-"

"SHUT UP WHAC JOB! MAGOTS! GET YOUR FAT ASSES OVER HERE!"

I sighed and began to jog over to the two coaches, Guy and Shizune. I wasn't sure who was worse. Guy pushed us to death saying "your youth will pull you through" and Shizune pushed the girls to death saying "work harder before I'm adding more laps to the ones I've already decided to add". They were merciless.

I stopped and stood by Guy, keeping my head down. Meeting Guys eyes would mean a conversation that would start somewhat like this. "HELLO YOUTHFUL CAPTAIN! WHAT YOUTH EXERCISE WILL YOU BE DOING WITH THE TEAM TODAY?"

"Haruno. Get the girls in their field positions. NOW!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" I watched Sakura sprint over to the girls and start giving orders. They all obediently spread out over the field, looking at us expectantly.

Guy turned to the boys, "NOW LADS, WE ARE GOING TO SCRIMMAGE THE YOUTHFUL FEMALES! WE MUST WIN, OTHERWISE I WILL BE FORCED TO SING A LADY GAGA SONG TO THE CAFETERIA BY THE FEMALE COACH! IT WILL BE VIDEO TAPED AND PLAYED IN EVERY HOMEROOM FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!"

Our mouths hung open in horror and we all shared a collective shudder. Shizune snorted and said, "Good luck pansies."

She turned to the girls and bellowed, "YOU ALLL BETTER WIN OR I WILL PERSONALLY KICK ALL YOUR ASSES TILL THEY ARE BLACK AND BLUE!"

The girls immediately went on their toes, bouncing up and down to be ready. I sighed and ordered the guys into their positions.

Neji looked thoughtful as he headed for his sweeper post. "What do you think Guy is going to make Shizune do when we win?"

I didn't get to hear Naruto's reply, but I got to hear Neji yell, "YOU JUST SCARRED ME FOR LIFE, FREAKING PERVERT!"

I sighed and took a quick look around; making sure everyone was in their position. Then I sprinted for my center midfield spot and went on my toes. This was going to be difficult. I hoped the defenders were ready for Sakura.

The whistle blasted and the girls knocked the ball around. They passed back and Tenten ran forward and murdered the ball. It went flying towards our goal and the girl forwards had already started sprinting up.

I found an uncovered girl by the goal and stood carefully to the goal side of her. When the ball came rolling towards her, I darted in front if her and sent the ball to a midfield wing who took off running.

I enjoyed my moment of satisfaction before running to keep up with the guy so he had options to pass.

The poor guy never saw what hit him. Sakura darted forward and snagged the ball out from his feet. It took the guy a second to figure out the ball was gone before he stopped running. Sakura was already half way down the field.

"Shit." I sprinted to get between her and the goal. Maybe Neji could hold her off long enough till I got there…

Her pink hair danced as she expertly croifed the ball around a defender. I pushed harder, berating myself from drifting so far from the goal.

Too late. Even though she wasn't even close to the goal, she swung her foot back and struck the ball with incredible force. It went flying, curving perfectly into the top corner of the goal. The goalie lunged but a ball that high and fast was impossible to stop.

A cheer came out from the girls and I heard Shizune scream, "AND THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE TESTOSTERONE MONKEYS!"

I sighed and yelled out words of encouragement. Sakura grinned at me cheekily as she passed me on her way back to her side of the field. "Tough day, Uchiha?"

I glared daggers and swallowed the urge to stick my tongue out at her.

The whistle blared and Naruto knocked the ball to a guy named Kiba. He started forward immediately and did some footwork to get around the girl forwards. He was getting pretty far in when Sakura started coming for him.

"Man on!" I yelled. (A/N: Man on is soccer speak for someone is coming for you. It may sound strange but people who play serious soccer know what I'm talking about.)

Kiba snapped his head up when he saw Sakura coming. He turned and passed to a wing and started to head for the goal.

Sakura stopped and sprinted after Kiba, keeping to his goal side. "Stand them up!" she cried out, motioning at couple idle defenders.

I grinned when I saw Kiba frantically motioning to me. Sakura had gone to challenge the wing and another forward who were knocking the ball around a confused defender. I got it.

"Pass back!" I shouted. The wing looked up and saw me. He didn't hesitate and knocked the ball towards me. I couldn't resist looking smugly at Sakura's face when she figured out the plan. She sprinted like hell for Kiba, but it was too late.

"Get ready to head!" she shouted desperately. The defense girls began to bounce determinedly and trained their eyes on the ball. I grinned. Kiba was six four. The only one who could block a head from him was Sakura. Only she could have managed to jump that high.

I pulled back and expertly whacked the ball with my laces. I didn't apply too much force, so Kiba could successfully head it. It was perfect. The ball sailed straight to Kiba who had moved in front of the girls to prevent off sides and he headed the ball into the goal.

A cheer came from the guys and Guy bellowed, "EXCELLENCE OF YOUTH SHALL PREVAIL! CONTINUE TO KEEP UP THE MOMENTUM OF YOUTHFULLNESS!"

Immediately after we heard Shizune. "THAT'S GONNA BE FIVE LAPS AT THE NEXT PRACTICE! GET YOUR EMPTY LITTLE HEADS INTO THE GAME!"

The game continued and Sakura scored five more times. I scored four more times and Kiba another. It was relentless and Sakura was fighting hard. As was I. Neji looked downright pissed that Sakura had merely danced around him when he tried to do his sweeper job. It was tied and there was only three minutes till sixth period was over, as well as the game.

Sakura was dribbling furiously towards the goal and Shizune was bellowing, "YOU GOT THIS HARUNO, KICK THEIR OUT OF SHAPE ASSES!"

I ignored her and sprinted into Sakura's path. We eyed each other as Sakura continued forward warily. I lunged and tried to snatch the ball, but she knocked it around my foot and darted forward. I pivoted on my other foot so I was in front of her again. She quickly shielded the ball from me by turning her back. I heard her cry out in frustration when she saw all her players covered by boys.

I nudged the ball from behind her and she darted to the side. She turned to face me and tried a step over turn which I barely managed to knock back to her, rather than let her the send the ball past me. She tried pull backs and croifs but nothing she did could get the ball by me.

She was about to try another move when we heard a loud blare coming from the school bell. A stream of profanities flew out of Shizune's mouth and I grimaced. She made truck drivers sound like little girls taking etiquette class.

Sakura glared and whacked my arm. I snickered as she screamed, "YOU ASSHOLE! I WAS THAT CLOSE TO SCOR-"

She broke off suddenly and I felt another presence behind me. "Hey." I recognized the voice as Kiba's. and turned.

"Good game man."

Kiba merely nodded and kept his eyes on Sakura. "You're Sakura, right?"

Sakura nodded and a small smile lit her face. My stomach clenched.

"You were crazy awesome, how'd you learn all those jooks?"

Sakura blushed and her smile grew wider. "Practice," she said shyly.

What the hell? Sakura is never shy!

Kiba laughed and said, "Lemme walk you to the locker room."

Sakura beamed and nodded. They fell into step together and I watched as Sakura laughed at something Kiba said. He was gesturing with his hands wildly and she was giggling like crazy. Then she said something and he cracked up as well.

I stood there feeling surprisingly empty as I watched them walk away. I turned away, feeling sick to see Neji standing behind me with a sympathetic smile.

I growled and snapped, "What?"

Neji shook his head and laughed. "Dude." Was all he said before walking away.

What the hell was Neji's problem? I jogged over to the boy's locker room and jumped into one of the walled in showers.

When I let the locker room with damp hair, Sakura was nowhere to be seen. Then I remembered that she had water polo.

I sighed when I thought about how sore Sakura would be. She worked herself way to hard.

"SASUKE-KUUUUUN!"

Shit. Fangirls. I sprinted into a random classroom and slammed the door shit. I held my breath and sighed with relief when there was no frantic clawing at the door.

I felt someone's eyes on my and I looked up to see Kakashi staring at me with an amused expression. I blinked and muttered an apology before opening the door carefully, looking both ways for the she demons.

"I know for a fact that they never go in the library after school," I heard an amused voice say.

I smiled weakly at Kakashi before running out of the room and sprinting for the library. I rushed in and slammed the library door behind me.

Heads turned and I quickly walked over to a shelf and pretended to be very interested with the books on it. I checked my watch and decided that I could spend the hour waiting for Sakura's water polo to finish in the library.

I sighed and slumped into one of the wooden chairs by a table. I pulled my notebooks and folders out of my grey jansport backpack and started my homework. While I was writing a small essay for social studies, my mind began to drift.

I hadn't been staring at Sakura… I was only looking at her. What was Neji's problem? He must be blind. I ignored the little voice in my head reminding me about his family's exceptional vision and talent for being optometrists. And why was I so upset when Sakura was chatting with Kiba? She can talk to who she wants to… It's not like they're dating…

My hand unconsciously clenched on the word dating and I looked at it surprised. What the hell is wrong with me?

I glanced at my watch and did a double take. Shit. Five minutes till I have to pick Sakura up. How long had I been thinking?

I shoved my stuff frantically into my backpack and shot out of the library. I sprinted to the girl's locker rooms and sighed with relief when I saw that I had one minute till Sakura came out.

I heard giggling and Sakura stepped out of the locker rooms, surrounded by her teammates. I wondered when she had become so pretty compared to other girls?

Her hair was drying and loose. It framed her face in a pretty way, with no effort from her at all. Her skin was clear and creamy and her cheeks had a pinkish hue. Her eyes were sparkling behind long eyelashes like always and her pale pink lips were in her usual grin. She wore a pair of fading jeans and a loose grey v neck. She wore her favorite pair of skinny gray vans. Her clothes were casual but they showed off her slim figure.

The girls were giggling around her and nudging her. Sakura shook her head and blushed a little bit. I smiled, thinking they were pointing at me. Wait… why was she looking that way then?

I turned to where Sakura was grinning and froze. Kiba stood there, grinning as well. He jogged over to Sakura and the other girls immediately scattered. They wiggled their eyebrows suggestively and Sakura blushed.

I could only stand there and watch as Sakura giggled and grinned. I hated the way her eyes were sparkling. I hated the way she was running her fingers through her hair. I hated the way her full lips said things that made Kiba burst into the laughter. I hated it. I hated it. Why did I hate it?

Kiba was gesturing and grinning. He said something and Sakura absolutely lit up. She nodded quickly and giggled a little bit. Kiba seemed to ask something and she started to nod, and then stopped as if remembering something. She shook her head and then started to look around. Her eyes fell upon me and she smiled, waving.

I forced a weak grin and waved back. Why did I feel so empty? Kiba turned to see me and waved as well. His eyes were twinkling but they seemed to become a little wary as they fell on me.

Sakura skipped over to me and gave me a hug. I hugged back and glared at Kiba over her shoulder. Kiba's eyes hardened and he glared back. Sakura pulled back from me and smiled up at me.

Kiba walked over and stood by Sakura. He wasn't glaring anymore, but his eyes seemed to harden when they looked at me.

"Sure you don't want a ride, Sakura?" he asked. His eyes twinkled the instant he turned them back on her. When did they become best friends? That was my job!

"Thanks, Kiba, but Sasuke is already here so…"

What does she mean already here? Would she rather go with him?

Kiba glanced back at me then turned back to Sakura. "Another time then."

Sakura grinned and nodded.

"I'll text you later," he said. Sakura blushed and nodded. He held his arms out for a hug and Sakura blinked.

I. Need. A. Knife.

Sakura stepped into his arms and blushed even darker when they wrapped around her. What the hell was with all the blushing?

The hug lasted longer than I would have liked and I glared the whole time. The instant they pulled back, I grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her away. She waved to Kiba as her heels were dragged across the ground and I continued around the corner.

When we reached the car, I yanked open her door and waited for her to get in. She raised her eyebrows and folded her arms, but nevertheless got in the car.

I shut the door carefully. I stomped over to my side and opened my door. As I was about to get in, I saw Kiba walking to his car. He turned and saw me glaring. When did I start glaring?

He gave me a half smile and raised his hand in farewell. I had to strain but I managed to figure out what he was mouthing to me.

_May the best man win._

I glared and jumped into the car, slamming the door shut.

I stomped on the gas pedal and shot out of the parking lot. My mind whirled as I drove to the pizza place.

Win what? But more importantly… Was I willing to compete?


	6. Bridal Style

**I KNOW IT'S SHORT, PLEASE DON'T FEED ME TO KARIN!**

***sigh* Well I have a whole crap load of school stuff to do so it's short. Breathe. You'll get over it. **

**I'll try and do another update this week but not on the weekend as usual because… I'M GOING TO THE BEACH! Yes the beach :D I get to wear a bikini and tan and eat restaurant food and pick up shells and walk on the beach! *sighhh* Ima scout for some hot guys, maybe have a little romance like all the Sasuke and Sakura ones I've been reading… DAMN THE TALENTED WRITERS WITH THEIR WITTY SENARIOS AND SWEET ENDINGS FOR MAKING ME FEEL LONELY! (not really, I love those stories…)**

**Anyways, I said I bring in characters so I used Naruto for a little while to show their unconscious feelings for each other. Yes, they are idiots in denial. **

**LilyParker18: That was one kick ass review. :D Thanks and I'll honor your wish and try to keep it sasusaku. That doesn't make we can't make luver boy squirm a little bit with the competition... ;) And yes- Sai is a piece of shit. He will not be gracing my story anytime soon. I'm from California! *que irritating and trashy Katy Perry song* Buut, I practically grew up in Wisconsin on a farm and I spend like all my breaks and a WHOLE bunch of time there as well.**

**Aura the Artist: Thanks for answering the question! I'll keep Sasusaku!**

**I just want to say thank you to the people who bothered to answer my quuuuestion. -.- Which was a grand total of two. Seriously, I can't figure out if people just hate reviewing or if they just skip authors notes. The story will end as a Sasusaku but there will be some major KibaSaku along the way to help the plot along. It'll be guuuuud, I'll tell ya that much.**

**Disclaimer: IF I OWNED NARUTO, I WOULD MAKE MYSELF A CHARACTER! WOULDN'T THAT BE BADASS? But I don't so screw life.**

**THANK YOU FOR READING! ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>"You know, being constantly dragged to your car and shooting out of parking lots at sixty miles an hour isn't pleasant."<p>

I rolled my eyes and grinned at Sakura. Already my bad mood was beginning to fade just from being near her. "It gives me a sense of action."

Sakura laughed and rolled her eyes. "It gives me whiplash and a sick stomach."

I laughed as well and pulled into the pizza place parking lot. I jumped over the curb and turned to face Sakura. My lips curled into a devilish grin and Sakura eyed me, backing away warily. She knew what happened when I got that look in my eyes.

I was feeling ridiculously happy so I decided to joke around. I took a step towards Sakura just as she took one back.

"I should scream rape," she muttered.

I snickered and just took another step closer. She started to turn and run but it was too late. I lunged and started to tickle her mercilessly.

"Sa..su…keeeeeee….. I… can't…. Breathe…" Sakura was shaking as I tickled her neck and the sides of her stomach.

"You don't need to breathe," I laughed, enjoyed her desperate swats at my hands.

"SASUKE IS RAPING SAKURA!"

I rolled my eyes and turned to see Naruto snickering at the two of us, his eyes gleaming. I turned and went back to tickling Sakura.

"It's not rape if she likes it, Dobe." Despite her breathless condition, we could both manage to hear her weak protests at that.

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "Looks like fun…" I smirked when I saw a devilish light in his eyes as well. "I may become a pedophile like Teme here…"

With that he stepped over to Sakura and began to tickle her as well. Her breathless laughter increased and she doubled over. "I... think… Going… Die….."

"I'll save you, Sakura," shouted Naruto. He scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He began to sprint away from me and I chased after him.

"I HATE YOU BOTH," I heard Sakura scream, thrashing and writhing. Her pink hair hung upside down and I could see her pinkish face, flushed from laughing and being slung over Naruto's shoulder upside down. Her wide emerald eyes were sparkling and her full lips were rapidly moving. Her vocabulary of swear words had increased. It was ironic to hear the sweet beautiful girl with the lilting voice shout profanities that would have been shocking to gangsters.

We had reached the stretch of grass to the side of the little shopping complex and I was gaining on Naruto. "I'll give you five seconds to return my victim," I shouted.

"Never," he cried back, "Through twisted fate we have fallen in love and are off to Austria to be married!"

I snorted and heard Sakura scream, "WHAT THE HELL?"

I shook my head and decided it was now or never. I tackled Naruto and sent him and Sakura flying. We landed in a tangle of bodies and I could hear Naruto's bright laugher and Sakura's soft voice swearing.

It sounded suspiciously like, "I ducking hate their ducking guts, I'm going to god bam rip their ducking heads off…"

"I can hear you," I said plaintively.

"GOOD!" came the shriek into my ear. I grimaced and Naruto moaned.

"I know what you mean when you complain about my shouting giving you migraines, Sakura-chan."

"I don't know who is crushing the life out of me, but I'm going to beat the shit out of them. Then get them a subscription to weight watchers…" I laughed at Sakura's little rant and shifted, managing to roll out of the pile of bodies. Naruto followed suit and we all just lie there, breathing heavily.

"So how bout' the Yankees game," started Naruto.

He never got to finish because he was smacked over the head by Sakura. "Sakura-chaaaaan!"

I sighed and pushed myself to my knees and from there to my feet. I surveyed the two and grinned. Sakura's prink hair was fanned out around her and wisps hung around her face. Her green eyes were sparkling like mad. Her light pink lips were twitching as she tried to keep them in a scowl. Sakura never scowled for long. She was too happy. Naruto was holding his head and prattling off apologies. He was giving big blue puppy dog eyes to Sakura and she was giggling.

Sakura looked at me when she saw me standing and gave me big sparkly green puppy dog eyes. I felt my heart melt as she stuck out a quivering coral bottom lip and extended her porcelain and muscled arms to me.

I moaned and bent down to pick her up. I was a sucker for the eyes. Always the eyes. For some reason, when I scooped Sakura up, my stomach began to flutter. I scowled lightly and wondered why. I had done this billions of times before, so why was my stomach fluttering? I shook it off and grinned, feeling happier than I had in a while.

Naruto got up and followed them towards the pizza place.

Neither of the two best friends could see Naruto grin when Sakura unconsciously wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck or when he noticed the way Sasuke held her as if she were something fragile and precious.

Neither did they hear his chuckle when he realized Sasuke hadn't given Sakura her usual piggy back ride. He was carrying her bridal style.


	7. And One Day She'll Be Gone

**Meh, not to short, not too long. At least I updated! Soooo, the story is starting to progress now. I was going to make this chapter longer but ending right there felt better. I'm gonna update with the rest of the chapter on Sunday, maybe. Which is the day after tomorrow, so you'll be getting your update quickly. **

**Gosh, other authors are like "Hm, maybe I'll update three months from now…" And I'm like, "I GOTTA UPDATE THIS WEEKEND FOR THEM!" **

**Buttt, the reviews make it all worth it. Speaking of reviews…**

**LilyParker18: God, I love your reviews! XD Wow, you're from out of the states? That's badass, where you from? And NOOO, NOT THE EVILE CHUB ROLLS MONSTER D: I'll make the next one longisher, pinky promise. See what I did there? The title and the promise… It was rather punny if I do say so myself. *readers groan at my lameness* Why thank you for saying I'm good! XD My friend just say I'm a psychopath, but somehow I manage to make them laugh too. I'm glad I can make people laugh when they read the random little Sasusaku fantasies that pop in my twisted brain! And I lurve the rain cause we don't get it out here! Like seriously, twice a year! -.- I run outside and spin in circles for like a hour before I come inside. Me and like everyone in the desert where I live XD So, before this becomes any longer, I'll cut it off by saying thanks for giving me awesome reviews! **

**Disclaimer: You guys wanna hear my Naruto Obsession Confession? That's right, I just made that up and it rhymes. Be jealous. Anyways, I buy all my lotion, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, and perfume in cherry blossom scent because it reminds me of Sakura and I feel like a Kunoichi. Laugh at my lameness and patheticness (and yes spell check, patheticness is a word if I say so). Before you ask, yes I do have a life and friends. Owning cherry blossom stuff is about as close as I'll ever get to owning Naruto so… Yeah…**

**ENJOY, YOUTHFUL PEOPLE! YOSH!**

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><p>Silky pink hair swayed before me as I followed Sakura out of the garage. We tiptoed quietly through the hallway and turned for the stairs.<p>

_Maybe we'll make it…_

Sakura and I had agreed that running into Itachi would result in a problem. A problem that would leave me with my head on the kitchen floor and Sakura in a leash and harness being dragged around with Itachi. I was holding the pizzas and slushies while Sakura carried the candy and movies.

She turned back to me and mouthed, "Where is he?"

I shrugged and frantically jerked my head for her to hurry, no doubt looking like an idiot having a neck spasm. She rolled her eyes and started to continue. We had almost reached the stairs when Karma decided to be a bitch.

My mom's annoying green rug that she insists "balances the hues of the room" managed to get under my foot and I went for the ground.

Now why can't Sasuke Uchiha, buff popular of Konoha High and soccer captain catch himself? Because I was carrying the goddam pinnaple pepperoni pizzan, anchovy pizza, and raspberry slushies. So instead of catching myself noiselessly and telling Sakura that it was somehow her fault I had almost fallen when we had safely reached my room, I face planted into the floor like the fucking coyote in the roadrunner cartoon.

I heard the thud before I felt it.

**BANG**

I opened my eyes to find that I was face down on the floor. I moaned and Sakura rushed over to me. "Owwwwww," I moaned.

I waited to feel Sakura's soothing touch but it didn't come. I looked up to see Sakura frantically grab the slushies and upright them. She hadn't been coming for me, she had been going for the slushies.

"Owwwwww," I moaned slightly louder. She grabbed the pizzas and I stared in outrage. She started to stack the movies on the pizza boxes.

"OOOOOOwwwww!" I moaned extra loud. She reached over and put the candy on top of the pizza boxes as well as the slushies.

"OOOOOWWWWWWWWW!" I screamed, staring at her in disbelief when she jumped up and sprinted for the stairs.

"WHERE'S THE LOYALTY," I yelled after her.

"IN YOUR ROOM," came her reply and I heard the door to my room close upstairs.

I heard jogging footsteps and put my face back on the ground. Sakura was smart. She ran away. Maybe if I close my eyes and lie really still, he won't see me.

I heard the footsteps stop by my head and I franticly tried to think of an escape. Well it couldn't hurt…

"Camouflage ninja powers, activate," I muttered against the carpet. I heard a sarcastic laugh and sighed. Didn't work. I'll just try another.

"Ninja teleportation powers, activate." This time the laugh was irritated and I felt a hard foot nudge my side.

"Get up, idiot," I heard a cold voice say.

"Knives and lethal spork ninja attack powers, activate on Itachi," I muttered.

"I honestly can't believe we're related."

I rolled over and looked up at Itachi. He looked pissed. I grunted and pushed myself to my feet, swaying like a drunk.

"How was the car ride this morning," he said coldly.

"Rather nice, I almost ran over the old lady with the walker who lives next door. She's a bitch, when I was eight she gave me floss for Halloween."

Itachi snorted and glared at me. "You had no right to practically kidnap Sakura. She probably wanted me to come with you guys."

It was my turn to snort. "As if."

His glare intensified and he said with barely controlled rage, "She isn't all yours, little brother, you have to share her."

This pissed me off beyond belief and I had to restrain myself from trying to strangle him. "Sakura is not a _her_. Neither is she a toy that I refuse to share. She is a human being capable of thought and feeling. I don't make her do anything, she does it herself. If she avoids you it's because she probably doesn't like you. Not my fault you're an asshole. "

Itachi didn't falter as he bit out his next words, "Oh really? How often does Sakura get to hang out with her other friends? How often does she get rides from them or has movie nights with them? When was the last time Sakura went out on a date? Huh? Sorry to say this, little brother, but you're dominating her life. You are _controlling her_. She can't do half the things she should be able to do because you won't let her because you _suffocate_ her with your constant presence. You scare away all competition. And you know what? One day she'll figure that out and she'll be gone. Then your little sick world will crumble because you built it around _her_."

I stared in shock as Itachi breathed heavily, his chest heaving. He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room and I heard him stomp up the stairs and slam the door to him room.

I leaned my back against the wall and let myself slump down against it till I was sitting. I put my hands over my face and ran them through my hair.

Was it true? When was the last time Sakura had done something with her other friends? Was I dominating her life? Was that why I was having all these weird feeling around her?

I heard footsteps and I looked up expecting to see Itachi coming back to rail at me some more. Instead I saw Sakura carefully taking soft steps toward me. Her mint eyes were soft and her waterfall of pastel hair created a curtain behind her face as she bent down next to me, taking one of my hands in hers.

"You ok?" she asked softly. I nodded numbly and she squeezed my hand.

"Don't let whatever he said get to you, Sasuke, it isn't true whatever it was."

I nodded again staring into her concerned sparkly eyes. My stomach fluttered and I looked away. She stood up and reached out a hand to pull me up. I took it and pulled myself to my feet. She walked in front of me as we headed up the stairs two sentences kept replaying in my mind.

_And you know what? One day she'll be gone. Then your sick little world will crumble because you built it around her._


	8. Don't Wait Too Long

**Welcome back readers, to my Narutardtastic story! :D Sooooo, the chappie is looooong. Be grateful. -.- I like this chapter.**

**I'm kinda testing the boundaries on how oblivious I can get Sasuke to be without making it unrealistic. This chapter is pushing it a little but oh well. Theres Kiba Sakura in here but don't spaz and die, they won't end up together. I happen to find Kiba a lot more hot than Sasuke and his chicken but hair but hey, you guys want it to be a SasuSaku. Your wish is my command.**

**You guys are nice people, right? You know that happy feeling when you get a long review? Well there's this awesome chic named LilyParker18 who gives the best reviews ever. She just started a new story for Naruto (it's SasuSaku) and it's pretty freaking awesome. You all could do something reaaallly nice and go read the first chappie. It's called Autumn Afternoons and it's in my favorite stories list. So go check it out please!**

**Disclaimer: I find Sasuke's purple rope outfit or whater maked him look fat. Like really fat. Like OH SHIT CALL WEIGHT WATCHERS NOW fat. If I owned Naruto, I would make him look sexy like he should. -.- But I don't so whatevs owner people, make him a fat ass if you want to. **

**One last thing. I'm so suprised at how many people had the same Naruto Obsession Confession (so proud that I managed to rhyme that!) as me! I love you guys and I made my day to see those reviews saying that you do the same thing! *tear tear* Thank you!**

**ENJJJJUUUY!**

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><p>I moaned and shook my head blearily. I hate waking up. Almost as much as I hate glitter. And I <em>really<em> hate glitter.

I flickered my eyes open and grimaced at the light. Screw light. I pulled my head up and looked around. I had passed out somewhere in the fifth movie on the couch with Sakura. I think it had been like four in the morning. It was going to be a long day.

I groaned and forced myself into a sitting position. Sakura was sitting in the swivel chair and texting furiously. Her perfect eyebrows were drawn together and her face was scrunched. I wonder who pissed her off. Whoever it is will be pretty screwed. She looks _mad_.

"Sakura," I called out warily. Her head snapped up and strands of her hair fluttered at the sharp motion. "Good you're awake," she growled.

I raised an eyebrow and she ignored me. She slammed her fingers on the phone's screen and shoved it next to her ear. Now who is going to have their eardrum blown out on the other side of the call?

"YOU STUPID ASSHOLE!" I snickered as Sakura jumped up and began to pace.

"OH YOU _KNNNNOOOWWW_ WHY!"

She marched back and forth and glared at thin air.

"I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU CAN'T GET THE STICK OUT OF YOUR PALE ASS AND MAN UP!"

I burst out in laughter but quickly quieted when glinting emerald eyes glared at me.

"OH YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Sakura clenched and unclenched her free fist while she waited for the other person to reply. Her eyes widened and she began to emit a lethal aura.

"DON'T BE A SMARTASS WITH ME!"

She paused for a minute and seemed to calm down while the other person spoke. "Fine," she snapped. "It's about Tenten."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Oh stuff it, you're crushing on her bad."

She snickered at something and replied, "No, that's the problem, she doesn't know. She doesn't know because you're a SPINELESS MONKEY OF THE MALE SPECIES!"

I snickered and felt bad for Neji. He had been crushing on Tenten bad.

Sakura took a deep breath and said, "Fine, fine, I'll explain. Tenten has been waiting months for you to make some kind of move. She has no clue that you like her because she is completely oblivious and so are you if you couldn't figure out that she's madly in love with you. You with me here?"

Sakura rolled her eyes again and continued. "Well one of the little fan bitches cussed her out and told her about how you said that Tenten is a fugly tomboy with tons of chub. She went to Ino's and cried the whole night. When all of us were there she starting feeling guilty and weak with all the 'blah blah blah I put too much strain on my friends' then she ran away to her house and locked the door to her room and no one could get in. I had to come back to Sasuke's before I started this phone call so I wouldn't upset her anymore. " Sakura sighed after her little rant and ran her fingers through her hair. I felt my eyes harden. Tenten was one of the nicest girls I knew. She was a bit of a Tomboy but she wasn't chubby at all. She was actually very slim. Whoever said that was going to pay when Sakura got a hold of them.

Suddenly there was an explosion of sound and I snapped my head to Sakura. She was wincing and rubbing her ear while holding the phone as far away from her head as possible. She saw me looking at her and mouthed, 'He's pissed.'

She put her head back next to the phone and yelled, "SHUT UP HYUGA, GET OFF YOUR FLABBY ASS AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!"

She grinned when the phone line went dead. After a minute the grin fell off her face and she sighed, falling on to the bed beside me. I looked down at her and started to play with a piece of her hair. "What's wrong? Everything is ok now, the idiot will run to her house, probably with roses because this is Neji Hyuga we're talking about, and sweep her off her feet then ride off into the sunset with her."

Sakura looked away a little sadly and murmured, "But you didn't see how upset she was. It broke her whole world to hear someone say that he hated her. If he had just gotten the courage to tell her, then she never would have been hurt. She never would have had her heart broken into millions of tiny pieces, all because it took him awhile to tell her that he loved her."

I froze and stared at Sakura. Something had shifted in me. It was vague and I couldn't tell what it was. It was like something was on the tip of your tongue and you were so close to remembering. I had almost understood it was-

"Sasuke?"

I blinked and my eyes focused on Sakura's confused face. It was gone. The wisps of the understanding I had almost had faded away.

"You ok," Sakura asked. She sat up and pressed a soft hand against my forehead. I blushed and my mouth nearly opened in shock. Why am I blushing?

"You're all red too-" Sakura started.

I cut her off, deciding just to ignore the strange feeling bouncing around my head.

"We're going for ice cream," I blurted quickly, jumping up.

"What?" Sakura stared at me confused and I grinned.

"We're going for ice cream."

"Shouldn't I be there for Tenten, I mean she might be-"

I reached down and scooped Sakura off the bed and carried her down the stairs. I paused to slip on my shoes (Sakura already was wearing her vans) and then walked out into the street, still carrying her.

"Tenten will be busy with Neji for another hour and besides, you must have sat in front of her door for eight hours at least. You need sustenance."

"Ice cream is not sustenance. I can walk you know," she muttered. She huffed and blew a piece of hair out of her eyes.

"I know," I replied with a grin, knowing she loved it anyways.

We had reached the main drag for Konoha where all the little shops, cafes, and restaurants were. I walked over to the Konoha Cow Creamery. We entered and cold hair blew down on us hard and Sakura sighed. She hated when things did that. She claimed it was too loud. Ironic because when she listens to the Killers, it hurts my ears just to sit next to her while she's wearing headphones.

People turned to stare and I wondered why till I realized I was still carrying Sakura. "If you don't put me down, I'll scream rape," muttered Sakura in my ear.

I glared at her but reluctantly set her down. She made a big show of stretching and complaining about her leg cramp. I rolled my eyes and dragged her to the counter. She remembered the ice cream part of this whole trip and bounced up to the counter like a little kid.

She was smiling like mad and spun in a circle for good measure. "Guess what," she said, I could hear the grin in her voice.

"What," I asked laughing. Her happiness was contagious. Not just for me either. When Sakura was happy everyone around her became happy. It was something about her that made people laugh and smile even on their worst days.

"I loooooove ice cream," she giggled as I rolled my eyes.

"I know, why do you think we're here Sherlock?"

She grinned and elbowed me in the ribs. "Because you, my friend, are a nice person."

I laughed at this as she continued. "When you're not stealing little girls' bikes and nearly running over old ladies."

"They had it coming, they were both bitchy," I protested.

Sakura giggled and stage whispered, "Note to self, don't be bitchy to Sasuke, otherwise I may end up under his crappy car or bikeless."

I snorted and replied, "Damn straight."

By that time it was our turn to order. "One mint chocolate chip in a large waffle cone and one rocky road in a extra large waffle cone with oreo and whipped cream on top."

I knew exactly what to order for Sakura everywhere we went. It was kind of amazing when I thought about it. I slapped down money before Sakura could pull her old ratty wallet out of her jeans. She glared and kept taking money out of it. I snatched her wallet hand held it over my head as the grinning women rang up the cost.

"Jump for it shorty," I said, smirking down on her flushed face.

She screwed up her face and muttered," Go to hell." Then she started jumping up and down while I dangled the wallet over her. Sakura wasn't short, but I was tall, something I rubbed in to her every day.

The women reached over with my change and said with a chuckle, "You and your girlfriend's ice cream will be right out.

Sakura blushed a bright pink and began to stammer, "I'm not- We're not- He's not- "

"Thank you," I replied smoothly grabbing the change, steering her away.

"What was that," she whisper-shouted.

"She'll put more ice cream on if she thinks we're in love."

Sakura stuck her tongue out and replied, "If that was Kiba's mom-"

Then she realized her mistake and shut her mouth with a snap. I raised my eyebrows and said, "What was that?"

"Nothing," she relied looking away.

"Oh it was something," I said stepping closer.

"It was a nothing," she said again.

"Now why would Sakura care if that was Inuzuka's mom?"

"Nothing-" she started before I grabbed her and began to spin her around in circles.

"Ahh," she squeaked as she flew around and around.

"Tell me," I said with a smirk, ignoring the cold feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Ne...ver…" she wheezed.

"I have two options here. I can spin you around and around till you answer or I'll spin you around till you pass out then go through your phone." I smirked as she gasped.

"It's locked," she managed to say as she continually flew in circles.

"Sakura. I've known you since you were five. I can figure out your phone lock."

"Oh yeah," she muttered.

I thought about it for a minute then grinned. "It's a space bar and nothing else."

"Shit."

I sighed and began to spin her faster. "Your choice."

She moaned and finally shouted, "Ok! OK! Just stop or I'll barf on you!"

I quickly set her down, supporting her with my arm as she swayed like a drunk. All the people in the shop were staring and I waved cheerily.

Sakura moaned and nearly fell over. I caught and steadied her, enjoying the confused expression on her pretty face.

"What's my name again," she mumbled.

I snickered and replied, "Hannah Montana."

"No the horror," she moaned covering her ears.

I laughed and steered her to a chair and saw that our ice cream was ready. I jogged over the grinning woman who held out our ice creams over the counter.

"She's a pretty one," she woman said as I tried to juggle the hulking ice creams.

I turned back to Sakura to see her playing with a long piece of her silky straight pink hair. She was wearing light blue jeans and a slightly tight and slightly loose grey track t-shirt. Her startling green eyes were unfocused as she daydreamed with her pale pink lips parted. I smiled unconsciously before turning back to the woman.

"She's beautiful," I replied.

"You're a lucky boy," she said with a chuckle.

"Yes I am," I murmured, turning away with the ice cream in hand.

Why had I done that? I had gotten the ice cream so it wasn't for extra... I shook my head deciding I would never figure it out.

I reached our little metal table and handed Sakura her rocky road. She loved the stuff. She ate tubs of it every week. How she stayed slim and muscled I'll never know.

She grinned and practically snatched the ice cream out of my hands. "Easy, tiger," I snorted.

She ignored me and pulled a marshmallow out of it and happily popped it in her mouth.

"So start talking," I said, taking a long lick on the side of my ice cream.

She stiffened then glared. "You gave me brain damage from that little spin stunt."

"A little more won't hurt," I retorted with a smirk.

She thwacked my arm and glared. "You know, people with chicken butt hair tend to have lower IQs.."

I narrowed my eyes and she grinned in triumph. I shoved my ice cream in her face and her eyes started to sparkle and open wide as did her mouth. She giggled and I couldn't help but burst into laughter.

She was giggling like mad and finally it escalated into full blown laughter. Her face was dripping and green. I started at her flushed face and shimmering eyes and felt my gaze soften.

_She was still beautiful, even with green ice cream all over her._

I blinked and shook my head. Where had that come from? I pulled myself back to the present. I grabbed a couple napkins and started to mop her face. She giggled and I grinned. It was times like these I was glad Sakura didn't need make-up. She had flawless skin and as she put it "make-up is overrated".

"So before we got sidetracked, I told you to start talking."

Sakura rolled her eyes and said, "About what then?"

"Why," I started, drawing the word why out, "Would you be concerned if that woman had been Inuzuka's mom?"

She stayed silent and took a bite of her ice cream. I followed suit and waited. When she didn't say anything I sighed. "Let me help. We'll start with basic deduction. Sakura doesn't want that to be Inuzuka's mom because she thinks we're dating. She might mention it to him and then he would think we're dating. Now why would that upset our little Sakura? Perhaps she wants him to think that she is blissfully single?"

Sakura blushed and I felt the curling of dread in my stomach worsen. "Ahhh," I continued, forcing my face to stay nonchalant and teasing, "So she does?"

"Fine," she snapped, "I like Kiba."

It felt like I had been punched in the gut. Something panged in my chest but I ignored it all. I forced a big grin and chuckled. "How long has this affair been going on?"

She reddened even more and took a vicious bite of her ice cream. "Affair my ass," she snapped.

I shook my head, "Saks, answer the question.

She sighed and replied, "I've like him since I went to your practice like a month ago."

I kept the forced grin on my face and nodded. "Hm…" I said quietly.

She looked at me like I was an idiot then laughed. "Hm indeed."

Suddenly the door to the ice cream place banged open and we turned to see three girls who were panting and looking around the ice cream parlor.

Ino, Hinata, and Tenten. Their eyes fell upon Sakura and they sprinted for our table.

"Shit." I heard Sakura mutter.

I chuckled and replied, "Exactly."

The whirlwind of female reached our tabled and grabbed Sakura pulling her up.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD, GUESS WHAT?"

Sakura winced at Ino's shriek and replied, "They figured out how to grow bacon?"

"NO DIPSHIT!" Sakura was thumped on the back of the head and she glared.

"Sakura," began Hinata, pushing an indignant Ino to the side, "Neji asked Tenten out!"

Tenten was grinning and fidgeting as if she had too much joy and energy to stay in one place. "He came to my house with roses (Sakura glanced pointedly at me on the word roses) and the chocolates he knew I liked and apologized for what his fangirl did!"

"Yeah," said Ino, "Wonder how he found out…"

All three girls looked at Sakura and she stared off to the side and began to whistle.

"Annnyways," said Tenten, "He asked me out to dinner tonight at the new Italian place down the street and for the new action movie that just came out!"

Sakura's face split into a huge grin and she pulled Tenten into a ginourmous hug. "That's so amazing, Tenten, I'm so happy for you!"

Hinata stepped forward and said, "We're going dress shopping for Tenten right now and we knew that you wouldn't miss it for anything."

Sakura nodded and turned back to me. "Thanks for the ice cream Sasuke, but I gotta go."

I nodded and ignored the empty feeling engulfing me. "I'll bring your backpack by at six," I said. She nodded and squeezed my hand before turning to leave with the girls.

She breezed out the door with them laughing and smiling. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a couple of guys who looked like they were my age.

"Dude, is she taken?" one of them asked.

I narrowed my eyes and replied, "Excuse me?"

"The chic with the pink hair. She was hot, does she have a boyfriend?"

I glared angrily at them and they automatically took a step back. "Leave before your faces start to resemble a pepperoni pizza."

They started and walked out the door quickly. "Sorry, man," one called over his shoulder. "Didn't know she was yours."

I ignored them and went back to my ice cream. Why did I like the sound of that so much?

_I didn't know she was yours._

Ino, Tenten, and Hinata were pretty but in my opinion I don't think I had ever seen a girl as beautiful as Sakura. It always irritated me when idiots hit on her. It was common occurrence so I shoved those trivial thoughts to the side and focused on the major problem.

Why did I become so upset when Sakura said that she liked Kiba? It shouldn't have bothered me so much. It must be because I'm protective of her. That's it, I just don't want her to get hurt. That conclusion didn't feel right but I ignored it. At least that feeling I could label. Kind of. At least I think that's what the feeling was…

I shook my head and yanked out my cell phone. I dialed Neji's number and grinned when he picked up the phone and started with, "I DID IT SAKURA, I PROMISE! PLEASE DON'T CASTRATE ME!"

I burst into laughter and I heard Neji pause and then sigh with relief. "You know, I love Sakura but she's scary when she's pissed. I can show you some text messages from earlier-"

I cut him off with, "I think I know what Sakura is capable of." I winced at some of the memories that popped up. I really shouldn't have pissed her off while we were at the zoo. They never did find the lion…

I shook my head and said, "So you finally did it?"

Neji let out a long breath and replied, "Yeah I did. I was as nervous as hell but I did it."

I grinned and asked, "Well was it worth it?"

"A thousand times over," came the immediate response.

My smile faded a little bit and a felt a twinge of wistfulness. I heard someone call Neji's name and he shouted back, "Fine."

"Hey, look, I gotta go, but there's something I gotta say first."

I raised an eyebrow wondering what Neji had to say that was important enough for him to foreshadow it. He was usually very blunt. "What is it," I asked warily.

"Don't—" he paused then continued, "Don't wait too long."

"What," I asked, perplexed.

"Don't wait too long like I did," he repeated again. "You're running out of time."

"What the hell, Neji?"

The line went dead and I sighed. I stood and slipped my phone into my pocket and walked out into the sunshine. I blinked at the brightness and started to walk home. For some reason the walk had been so much better when I had Sakura with me.


	9. Poisonous Mushrooms

**This is pretty freaking adorable. I think... I wanted to give Sakura a little bit of tragedy to prove that she's strong. It was also a chance for Sasuke to suport her as well. I wanted to give Sasuke a good family too. He missed out on so much in the anime so I wantedd to give him this, at least. I didn't get to make it as funny as I would have liked to... There isn't much humor in here and the humor that is is kinda stupid and confusing. And damn this is long!**

**BUT OH WELL! :D You guys are still reading so what the hell? I bet like no one is reading this right now. Maybe two percent of readers? Lets face it. NO ONE READS AUTHOR'S NOTES! Except for those really wonderfull and incredible people like you guys! Enough of my fawning.**

**Disclaimer: So I was in the kitchen, right? Right. And I look at the stove and there's a pot. (You guys are wondering where the hell I'm going with this.) IN the pot was a little package that said Madra's Lentils. I started cracking up and I was like,"Oh shit, I got Madra's lentils!" I was rolling around on the ground snorting, thinking about Madra eating lentils. MADRA: I'M EVIL AND WILL EXPLODE THE WORLD! MWUAHAHHA, FIRST I MUST HAVE LENTILS! Hehehehehe so I don't own Naruto but I do own Madra's lentils. (a product, not the company) Heheehe... I just hope he brings some hot Naruto guys with him when he comes to get the lentils. :3**

**Sometimes I wonder if my long disclaimers annoy you... Hrm.**

**ENJOY AND BUY LENTILS!**

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><p>I got up from the butnumbing swivel chair and stretched. I had finally finished my dumb report. Without Sakura to give me pointers it took an agonizingly look time.<p>

I yawned and jogged outside, it was still only two. Soccer sounded good right now. I grabbed by ball and black cleats and started to lace them up. I heard my mom's light footsteps and the front door opened.

She took in my gym shorts and t-shirt sweater along with my cleats and soccer ball. She tossed me my phone and keys and I grinned. She rolled her eyes and walked back in the house saying, "Soccer, soccer, soccer. No more time for mama."

I opened the door and shouted in, "Love you, mom!"

"Lies!" she cried back and I shook my head with a chuckle.

I jogged out to the car and slid in, tossing my ball into the seat next to me. I grabbed my phone and dialed Sakura's number. We always practiced together. It was how we had gotten so good.

She didn't pick up and I frowned. I dialed again and felt the frown deepen. What the hell?

Wait a minute… What is she's been kidnapped? What if some creepy rapist who has a thing for pretty girls with pink hair kidnapped her? What if she broke her leg falling down the stairs? What if her Nanny is a secret CIA agent and her enemies captured her and she has twelve hours to live? What if she ate a poisonous mushroom? FUCKING MUSHROOMS! IT'S ALWAYS THE GOD DAMN MUSHROOMS!

The car screeched to a stop and the smell of burning rubber wafted through the windows. I ignored the honking horns and flipped off the old lady who was shaking a fist at me. I slammed into reverse and expertly spun the wheel so that I was heading in the opposite direction to Sakura's house.

I swerved through lanes and I ignored the various middle fingers and fists waved in my direction. Sakura was in danger. DAMN THE MUSHROOMS!

As I nearly collided I heard an ear drum shattering voice squeal, "OH MY GOD, SASUKE UCHIHA JUST ALMOST RAN ME OVER!"

I sighed and shook my head. What was wrong with that sentence? The words were filled with _glee_. The fanbitches were getting desperate. I flipped off the ugly redhead through the rearview mirror and heard a scream even though I was already a block away. "OH MY GOD! SASUKE UCHIHA JUST FLIPPED ME OFF!"

I groaned and resisted the urge to smack my forehead with my hand. Sometimes you just can't win. Then I remembered why I was endangering various innocent pedestrians and my stomach curled. What if she was hurt? What is she was in danger?

_What if I was too late?_

I slammed on the brakes when I saw her house.

_SCCCCRRREEEEEEECH!_

I threw myself out of the car as neighbors looked outside windows to see what had made the noise that the people in China probably heard. I sprinted across the lawn and threw open the door to Sakura's house.

Sakura and I were past knocking. I hadn't knocked on her door since fifth grade. (Unless she was in her room possibly changing. Hey, I'm not like the biology teacher, Jiraiya, quote "TIME TO STUDY RRRREEEEPRODUUUCTION! THE MAGICAL ART OF-" you get the picture.)

I ran through the quaint house and up the stairs at a marathon pace. I threw open the door to her light blue room. I took heaving breath as I frantically searched the neat and pretty room with my eyes for a flash of pastel pink or emerald green.

"SAKURA," I yelled turning away from the door, ready to tear the house apart searching for her.

"Sasuke?"

I froze in my tracks when I heard a voice say my name. It wasn't a lilting pretty voice like Sakura's. It was masculine. I was filled with dread as I spun around. It was a rapist and Sakura was already dead. Sakura had died and I was all alone.

I felt my eyes widen when I took in the appearance of the brown haired man with bright green eyes. His hair was ruffled and he had lines around his eyes from smiling. He had a tanned face and wore casual clothes. But despite his normal and friendly appearance, you could see that something was wrong. His lips dropped dawn at the corners and his eyes had an empty and vague look in them that held a sort of suffering. He was in pain. And I knew why. He shouldn't be here. Actually, no, he should have _been_ here for the last seventeen years.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here, is something wrong?"

I shook my head and responded, "I'm sorry, Mr. Haruno, I thought something might have happened to Sakura. She didn't answer her cell phone."

The man relaxed a little bit and nodded. "Ah," he said and gestured to Sakura's bed. "She left in a hurry and forgot it." When he said left his voice sounded a little sad but it was only a trace.

I nodded slowly and asked, "Do you know where she went?"

He shook his head and replied, "No, I don't think she knew where she was going either. You see, we had a disagreement…"

I nodded in understanding. "I'll go find her," I replied, already knowing where she was. I tried not to let my contempt and anger show as I walked out of the house. At least he remembered his daughter's best friend's name this time.

I jumped in my car, pulled away from the curb and began to drive at a normal pace this time. Moments later, I reached my destination. I pulled into the gravel parking lot and slid out of the car. The white and gray gravel crunched under my feet as a cool breeze ruffled my hair.

I knew where to go. Every week she came here, to talk, give flowers, hum melodies. I stepped out onto the field of grass and walked through the neat orderly rows, up the slope. I reached the top of the hill that overlooked the cemetery. A few graves were up here among the trees.

Sakura was here. She was leaning against a white marble tombstone. Her face was blank. The way it always got when she was truly and really upset. There was no emotion, it was if she were drained and empty. Her knees where curled against her body and she traced long slender fingers across the name engraved on the marble in curling cursive.

_Amatsuru Haruno_

Tears were slipping out of her eyes and sliding down her ivory cheeks. She didn't seem to notice though. Her face was impassive. Sakura hated crying. It made her feel weak.

The whole image looked as if it belonged in a fairytale. An exotic and beautiful fairy with long pastel hair fluttering in the wind and wide almond emerald eyes with diamond tears sliding down flawless porcelain skin. It was hauntingly beautiful. The only thing missing were her wings.

I continued walking till I was at her side and sat beside her. She made no move to show that she had noticed my presence. I reached out and gently wiped the tears off her face. I pulled my long sleeve over my palm and dried her face carefully. I wrapped a steady arm around her and pulled her against my shoulder. I held her close and listened to her quiet breathing.

"It's been two years since he went to Norway," I heard her whisper quietly. "He's back for a visit, now."

I squeezed her tighter and she shuddered slightly. I grabbed her free hand and held it tight, rubbing small circles on it. The other slender hand was still tracing the elegant words.

"He missed my sixteenth birthday. He missed Christmas twice. Christmas was her favorite holiday. I can remember her telling me that when we strung popcorn together. We got hungry so we never put it on the tree. We tossed the pieces to each other and saw who could get the highest score catching them in our mouths. She let me win."

I held back my own tears and pulled her even tighter to me.

"He came back today and said he's staying for two days. When we sat down for dinner, he asked me how my freshman year was going." She paused then said as if repeating something she had said to someone else, "I'm a Junior." Her voice cracked when she said Junior and she fell silent.

I rocked her back and forth and she took a shuddering breath. "He left. He left me when I was five because he couldn't cope. He left me with a nanny and housekeeper because he couldn't cope." She said the words with disbelief and tiredness and I felt my heart crack.

I knew the story well enough. She just needed to say it to force herself to believe that it had really happened. Her mother had died when she was five from cancer. Her father couldn't take it so he left. He begged for a job that required him to travel. He got it. He would visit now and then, sometimes three times a year, sometimes once every two years. He sent presents from all the places he had been. A t-shirt from Sweden, a keychain from Spain, a sweatshirt from France. Sakura never wore them. She had a drawer where she kept all the things he sent her. They were all perfectly organized in accordance to the date received. Sometimes I would find her sitting by the drawer and running her fingers gently across the contents inside. Apparently, he thought knickknacks were a suitable substitute for a father.

He had hired a nanny and a housekeeper that lived there, though they usually took the weekends off. They loved Sakura like a daughter and were like the mother she never had. Like and is aren't the same, though.

I gently wiped Sakura's cheeks clean again and said quietly, "Remember when you my mom, me, and Itachi went shopping together. Sakura nodded and a crooked wan smile formed on her face.

"Your mom had Itachi and you sit outside all the stores we went in because you guys kept complaining. She forced me into billions of clothes and bought everything that looked good on me as a gift."

I held her hand again and intertwined the fingers. "And what did she say when you asked why she was doing it?"

Sakura's eyes glazed over at the memory and she looked into the air as if watching the scene. "She told me I was her one and only daughter and that she couldn't loved me more than if I had actually had been her real daughter."

I continued on and said, "And remember when you were at soccer games when you were eight?"

A few more tears slid down Sakura's cheeks but I don't think they were because she was angry at her father anymore.

"Your dad recorded the whole thing and you could hear him cheering in the back round the entire time."

"That's my girl! Go Sakura, crush their little-" "No language Fugaku, they're eight!" "Fine, I'll wait till she's ten!" "Fugaku, don't you dare swear at her soccer games, even if she's eighteen!" "What about when she plays in college?"

Sakura gave a watery chuckle at my imitation off my parents while my dad had been filming. It had been exact quotes.

"They love you so much, Sakura."

She nodded slowly and I watched as she gently pulled her hand away from the tombstone and covered my hand with it.

"Sakura," I murmured, "I'm always going to be here for you, ok? Forever and always, no matter what happens. You can always come to me no matter what it is. You can tell me anything and everything, even if you think I'll get mad. I never want you to feel alone. Ok?"

Her emerald eyes were wide as she looked at me. After a moment they filled with thankfulness and tears. She smiled that beautiful smile only Sakura could smile and held out her pinky. "Pinky promise?" she asked in a wavering voice. In her eyes, I also saw the fear of being abandoned and left again, being left all alone. She had been all alone. Then I came- the pissed off five year old who was too 'manly' enough to admit he liked her pink hair. She hadn't been alone since and it was going to stay that way. No. Matter. What.

I grinned and wrapped my pinky around her delicate one. "Pinky promise."

The tears overflowed and she buried her face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and held her there. I loved this feeling. Of being able to hold her in my arms and feel her right there with me. I breathed in her apple vanilla scent and sighed as her pink hair tickled my nose. I was the only one allowed to make her cry. Happy tears.

My heart was fluttering and my stomach did a somersault. I ignored both, sick of the confusing feelings. This was a moment the confusing new feelings wouldn't ruin. But for some reason… I kind of liked the confusing feelings making my heart beat fast.

I shoved all of my thoughts from my head and just focused on the fact that I got to hold Sakura in my arms. We sat there like that for ten minutes before she pulled back. I immediately wanted to pull her back into the hug but let her slide out of the embrace. What was wrong with me?

She wiped her face one last time before turning to the grave stone with a weak chuckle. "Sorry you had to see me be a big crybaby, Momma."

I growled at her and grabbed her hand. "You are not a crybaby."

Sakura chuckled at me then said, "Hey, Momma, this is my best friend, Sasuke. We're gonna be best friends forever."

My mind flashed back to an old memory.

"_Come on Sasuke, you're such a slowpoke!"_

_I watched the pink hair bob up the hill in front of me. I started to run as fast as my legs would let me. One day, I'd have big legs like Daddy. He said if I eat veggies, I'll get big long legs and I'd be the fastest person in the whole wide world! I grinned at this and continued up the hill._

_Sakura said she'd take me to meet her mommy. I hadn't met her mommy before, but her nannies were really nice. When I came over they gave me chocolate cookies- the crispy kind, cause squishy ones are yucky. Sakura thinks the same thing. _

_I wondered if her mommy would have pink hair like her. I never met her daddy, so I don't know if he has pink hair. Sakura said her daddy goes to faraway places on adventures! She showed me the pasta pillow he sent her from Ita… Ital… Hey, I can't remember! I frowned and remembered Big Brother telling me that he never forgot anything. I'll ask Sakura later._

_I began to huff and wondered why Sakura's mommy couldn't have come down the hill to us. If she was as nice as Sakura, I guess she'd be worth it._

_I finally reached the top a little later after Sakura. I looked around but all I saw was Sakura. Where was her mommy? _

"_Where's your Mommy, Sakura? You said she'd be here! You're a meanie if you were lying!"_

_Sakura's pretty green eyes got all wide and she shook her head all fast like, making her hair swish. "Nu-uh, Sasuke, I'm not a meanie! She's right here!"_

_I looked around again and got mad, "You're lying, no one's here!"_

"_No, Sasuke, she's here," she said softly, pointing at the big pretty white rock. She kneeled down beside it and I sat next to her. _

"_See, this is my mommy," she said. I looked at her confused but then I saw the words on the big pretty rock. I couldn't read curly writing yet but I knew what it meant when there was a big pretty rock with words on it. Sakura's mommy had died._

"_Your mommy died," I asked, looking at her with wide eyes._

_Sakura's face got all red and she shook her head fast. "No! She's right here! Nannies and Daddy said she died, but she's right here!"_

_I saw her eyes got all sparkly and I knew she wanted to cry. What would it be like to not have a mommy? I reached over and gave her a big hug. I didn't like seeing Sakura cry. She's my best friend. _

_Sakura started to cry on my shoulder and I kept hugging her. After awhile she let go and pulled back. She looked at the ground and played with a piece of grass. "Momma is really dead, huh Sasuke?"_

_I nodded and grabbed her hand because she still looks sad. Sakura wiped her face and said softly, "I still like to talk to her though. It feels like she can hear me. Is that alright?"_

_I nodded and said, "I bet she can hear you from heaven! I bet she's listening to us right now!"_

_Sakura snapped her head up at me with surprised eyes. "You really think that, Sasuke?"_

_I nodded again and she started to smile really big. _

_I grinned at her too and said, "Hi Mrs. Haruno!"_

_Sakura's smile got all big _too and _she said, "Hey, Momma, this is my best friend, Sasuke. We're gonna be best friends forever."_

_After that we talked a lot to her momma and told her about school and all the teachers. We told her what the pretty willow tree looks like and what toys we like to play with. We told her about the Nannies and their crispy chocolate cookies. _

_When it started getting dark, Sakura and I got up and walked down the hill to go home. Sakura smiled and grabbed my hand. I smiled too._

_Sakura's mommy was really nice. I liked her a lot._

I blinked and brought myself back and Sakura was looking at me with a knowing smile. She knew what memory I had just remembered.

A lot of the time, I would come with Sakura and talk to her mom with her. Even when we started junior high and high school, I would still come with her and talk to her mom with her. It was just random stuff like cafeteria food, projects, our friends, homework. It was all assorted and different but it was perfect.

I looked at the pretty white stone and said, "She knows that already silly."

Sakura laughed softly and said, "I know, sorry, Momma."

I realized I was still holding Sakura's hand and almost let go, but I decided not to. I liked it. I stood up and pulled Sakura up with me. She turned to the grave and whispered, "Bye."

I waved and whispered, "We'll come back soon."

We walked down the hill hand in hand and I grinned when Sakura didn't let go of my hand. "He really loved her, you know."

I looked at Sakura and she was looking around at trees with a relaxed expression. "Yeah, he did," I agreed.

"That's why he couldn't cope, he couldn't live life without her."

I looked at Sakura and thought about how panicked I had been when I thought she was in danger. How I thought my whole world would fall down if she wasn't ok.

"It's because he knew her," I said.

"Hm," hummed Sakura looking at me.

"It's because he knew everything about her," I continued, wondering what was coming out of my mouth. "It's because he knew all of her hobbies, her likes, dislikes, and quirks. He knew her every fault and flaw and she was perfect to him. When he had lost her, he lost what he believed to be the definition on perfect. He needed her. That's why he couldn't cope."

Sakura looked at me strangely then quickly looked away, letting her hair shroud her face. "Yeah," she murmured, "She was perfect to him."

I looked at her concerned and let go of her hand to stand in front of her. "You ok, Sakura," I asked, concerned.

She looked at me for a second then looked confused. She shook her head as if ridding something from her mind then smiled and nodded. "Mhm." She replied.

I nodded as well then fell back into step with her. I wanted to grab her hand again. I regretted letting go of it in the first place. What was wrong with me?

I jolted myself out of my thoughts when I heard Sakura's voice. "I don't want to go home right now," she said.

I looked at her in understanding. I wouldn't either. "Let's go to the soccer field."

Sakura's face lit up and her whole demeanor lightened. I knew that soccer was just what she needed. There were always extra balls at the field, and we'd be alright just shooting and scrimmaging. She was in her vans and I would change out of my cleats in case I stepped on her feet.

Sakura grinned devilishly at me before saying, "Last one there has chickenass hair!"

I growled at her and took off sprinting after her. I grinned as I tried to catch up. Maybe mushrooms weren't so bad.


	10. I Was Too Late

**I am such a spaz. I just updated the wrong story! Grrrr... THANK YOU GUYS FOR CATCHING IT! I wouldn't have figured it out if you guys hadn't figured it out. I would have just updated again and you all would have been TOTALLY LOST! You'll understand what I mean when you finish this chapter. No spoilers. ;)**

**So... I'll give you this warning now... This story only has about three chapters left. And a epilouge! Yeah, I know, it's sad. I'm sorry to the people who were really enjoying this but I always meant for it to be a short kind of story. But, I'll do another high school fic in like maybe a month? So check back! I have to finish Unexpected Angel wich I have slacked on so much to the point that it is apalling.**

**Disclaimer: Yes, I keep Sasuke Uchiha in my closet. HE BELOONGS TO MEEEE! MWUAHAHHAHA! Nope. He lives in a fictional world I don't own.**

**Love you guys, sorry about the mix up!**

**ENJUUUYYY!**

* * *

><p>"You do it."<p>

"Hn. Pathetic."

"Shut up, asshole!"

"Wimp."

"Eep! I think it moved!"

"Sakura. It is dead. Therefore it cannot move… Unless I throw it at you which is rather tempting at the moment."

"Stuff it. You wouldn't throw a dead relative at me."

I glared at Sakura then poked the dead earth worm with my scalpel. "I'm telling Anko that you didn't do shit after I'm done."

"Awww! Pooor Sawsuke-kunnn angweee? Is he gowing to tell the teachwer?" I glared at Sakura as she snickered at me. I sighed, and then began to saw through the disgustingly rubbery worm.

"I see the family resemblance," I heard Sakura mutter.

I glared at Sakura, and then replied, "No, he's related to a friend of mine."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at me and I picked up the worm with our rusty forceps given to us for the lab. "Stick your tongue out one more time."

Sakura squealed then back pedaled away from me. I smirked then went back to making the dissection. "You're an asshole."

"The worm is still here, Sakura."

"Love you too."

I rolled my eyes then peeled off my gloves having finished cutting the worm in half. "I wonder how they killed it," Sakura wondered looking at it.

"Hn." I watched her lean over and poke the worm with the forceps, then jump back. Her hair was tied up and she wore the pointless goggles we were required to wear. Sakura blinked irritated as her lashes brushed the cheap plastic.

"I hate these things," she muttered as she pulled them off.

"It's not the goggle's fault that you have mutant eyelashes."

Sakura glared at me and snapped, "Long eyelashes are considered beautiful."

I looked at her sparkling green doe eyes framed by the long dark lashes that fluttered oh so delicately. "They are," I murmured unconsciously.

Sakura blushed and turned her gaze back on the worm. I raised my eyebrows but didn't comment.

Anko began to give directions and Sakura grabbed our lab paper and began to fill it with her neat scrawl. "I'll do the written part; just tell me the observations."

I nodded and began to drawl out information. Wisps of pink hair framed her face as her hand flew across the paper. Her eyebrows were scrunched in concentration and I found myself smiling at her like an idiot. I shook my head and frowned. What the hell?

I felt eyes on me and glanced over at Neji who was smirking at me as he worked with a grinning Tenten. He muttered something to her and she looked up at me surprised. She made eye contact with me then waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

I glared at the both of them then flipped them off. They both snickered with the air of a person who knew more than you do then went back to work. Damn them and their slap-happy young love.

I sighed just as the bell rang and grabbed my back pack off the floor. I looked up to meet Sakura's puppy dog eyes as she held out the paper to me. "Turn it in?"

I sighed again and snatched the paper out of her hands. "Troublesome."

"Thanks, Shikamaru," Sakura said dryly.

"Hn."

I turned away from Anko's desk after turning in the paper but Sakura was already gone. I looked around confused. I looked over at Neji who looked extremely frustrated. Tenten looked frustrated but happy at the same time. I walked over to them and asked, "What's up?"

"You waited too long," Neji snapped. "He just came and got her."

I raised an eyebrow and Tenten lightly whacked his arm. "Neji," she reprimanded. Neji muttered something but looked away.

Tenten looked at me sadly then said, "What happens, happens."

With that, Neji grabbed her hand and dragged her away. I watched them go, confused. What were they off about? I shrugged but felt slightly irritated at Sakura for not waiting to walk to the cafeteria with me.

I strode out of the classroom and took the familiar route through the hallways. I shoved off a few fangirls and walked out into the spring air. I took a deep breath of the fresh air then walked over to the many metal tables.

Then I froze.

Sakura stood next to him with a big grin. She was laughing at something he said and he was grinning as well. I watched he say something else and she doubled over in laughter. She whacked his arm lightly and he smirked. He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers and leaned down to kiss her lightly on the cheek. Sakura blushed and her face glowed.

I looked down at my hands to see them clenched into fists so tight that my knuckles had become white. My whole body felt stiff and it also felt like someone had nailed me in the stomach with a bowling ball. I tried to move but found that I couldn't.

I looked back up and Sakura to see her still holding hands with him. Now, she was searching the crowd with her eyes and going on her tiptoes. He was smiling fondly at her and I felt the urge to go punch the expression off his face. Suddenly, Sakura's jade eyes connected with mine and she grinned. She untangled her hand from his and ran over to me. She gave me a big hug and I mechanically wrapped my arms around her. It wasn't the same as the other hugs, though. In the other hugs, I could hold her tight, bury my face in her hair. She was mine. Now she wasn't. She was _his _now.

I held her loosely and looked up at _him_ over her shoulder. He was smiling happily but when he caught my eye the smile turned triumphant. I glared and looked away, then pulled away from Sakura. She frowned up at me with those big eyes and asked, "What's wrong, Sasuke?"

"Nothing," I murmured back to her. He had walked over and was now standing by Sakura. He smiled at her and intertwined their hands again. I looked away angrily but kept quiet.

"Hey, Sasuke," Kiba said.

"Hn."

Sakura chuckled and said, "Still socially awkward?"

I rolled my eyes at her and replied, "I learned from the best."

Sakura stuck out her tongue and said, "Come on, we're going to go sit with everyone."

I turned and looked at our usual table. Neji, Tenten and Ino were already there staring at us. Neji's face was irritated and clearly said "I told you so". Tenten looked happy but sad at the same time. Ino was glaring at me making motions with her hands and mouthing the words "FIX IT!" Fix what?

I looked back at Sakura and Kiba, holding hands. He must have asked her out when she left the science room. That's why Neji was so irritated; he must not want Kiba to go out with Sakura. But what was I supposed to do about it? All I knew was I hated it a hell lot more than he did.

I forced a grin and said, "I gotta go take a test."

Sakura's smile faltered and she said, "Do you have to?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice. "See you later."

I turned and walked away, forcing myself not to look back. I felt her gaze on me the whole time as I walked back into the school building. I turned a couple corners till I reached the library. I strode in and walked over to one of the empty tables in a secluded part of the library.

I buried my head in my hands and closed my eyes. What was wrong with me? Why was my gut twisting? Why was my heart pounding? Why was my chest aching?

I heard the chair next to me scoot and someone plop into it. I looked up, ready to death glare whoever it was away from me, but stopped. Bright blue eyes stared into mine and I blinked.

"Where the hell have you been," I snapped at him.

Naruto snickered and said, "Is this your way of telling me that you missed me?"

I grunted and looked away.

"I went on a trip to visit Gaara for a bit."

I nodded. Gaara and Naruto were good friends. Gaara had been on a path spiraling downward that was filled with drugs, cigarettes and plenty of booze. Naruto kicked his ass into shape and got him to change. Every once in a while, they'd go visit each other.

"Guess what I just saw in the cafeteria just now?"

I looked at Naruto and narrowed my eyes. He sighed and said, "What the hell are you doing, Sasuke?"

I just looked at him confused and ran my fingers through my hair. "I don't know. Lately, I've been getting these weird feelings around Sakura. My heart starts to pound, my stomach does this butterfly thing and I want to do weird things like hold her hand."

I faded off and Naruto stared at me. Then, he proceeded to slam his head on the table.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Dobe, stop it," I hissed as everyone in the library turned to look at us.

"YOU" BANG "ARE" BANG "SUCH" BANG "A" BANG "DIPSHIT"

"Young man-" began the librarian.

SCRRREEECH

Naruto slammed his hands on the table and shoved the chair back, creating an ear shattering noise. He jumped up and pointed right at me, an indignant look on his face. I'm. So. Screwed. "THIS BASTARD OVER HERE IS A DIPSHIT!"

Everyone gasped like they do in the movies and I sighed, praying to God that it would end soon. "YEAH, A DIPSHIT! HE HAS NOOO FUCKING COMMON SENSE AND IS DAMN BLIND!"

*Ten Minutes Later*

I sat in the deserted hallway, glaring at Naruto as he cheerily ate cheetos, successfully coating his face in orange powder.

"You know, I think _you_ are the dipshit."

Naruto glared at me and shoved about another five billion cheetos in his mouth. "She didn't write our names down."

"BECAUSE WE RAN AWAY BEFORE SHE COULD!"

Naruto shrugged and I sighed as he pulled another bag of cheetos out of his backpack. "Why did you do that," I snapped.

Naruto look at me like _I_ was the spaz who just cussed out his friend in a full library then ran out screaming "YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME ALIVE!" I swear to god, I think the ramen he eats is full of lead paint.

"You mean you still haven't got it?" he cried.

"If you start shouting again, I will go all kinds of scary on your ass," I snapped.

Naruto scooted away from me then flipped me off. "Ok," he began. "So you get butterflies around Sakura, you become nervous around Sakura, you want to hold Sakura's hand, your heart pounds around Sakura, Sakura is smoking hot, how have you not figured this out?"

I glared at him and something started to connect in my head.

Then.

It.

Hit.

Me.

I'm in love with Sakura. I, Sasuke Uchiha, am in love with Sakura Haruno. I am in love with my best friend. Oh no.

I looked at Naruto and he was grinning at me in a foxish manner. "Figured it out, huh?"

I nodded numbly and ran my fingers through my hair as Naruto started to babble. "Hyuuga wanted to tell you but decided you should figure it out on your own. Ino is downright pissed it's taken you so long to figure this out and Tenten is a mix of agreeing with Ino but being happy for Sakura and Kiba-"

"Naruto."

Naruto looked at me, serious for the first time in forever and asked, "Yeah?"

"She doesn't love me back though."

"What?" Naruto half shouted, but I was already half way down the hallway.

The bell rang and students began to flood into the halls. I pushed through them desperately searching for shimmering pink hair. I finally caught sight of it and pushed through to watch. Sakura gave Kiba a small smile as she stepped out of his hug. Her eyes were clouded with worry, though and she seemed distracted.

Then, as if in slow motion, she turned and saw me standing there frozen. Her eyes immediately brightened and she jogged over to me and gave me a big hug. I numbly wrapped my arms around her. This was the last time. Might as well enjoy it. I breathed in her vanilla apple scent and pounded every detail into my head. Her velvety skin, the soft hair that tickled my nose, her warmth… This was the last moment.

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to pull back. I pulled back and looked into her huge beautiful eyes. She deserved better. What would life be like without her? It had always been Sasuke and Sakura. I couldn't even remember a time when she wasn't there.

"Sasuke," the voice as familiar as my own whispered. "What's wrong?"

I stared and choked on my words. They tasted vile and evil like I knew they were. They felt like knives lodged in my throat, but I needed to get them out. Sakura deserved better. I shouldn't be in her life. My position has been filled. I was too late.

"Sakura," I began quietly, staring into the emerald eyes. It was the most painful thing I had ever done. "I have to break my promise."

Sakura looked at me confused, and then touched my cheek softly. "It's alright, Sasuke, calm down. Which one? I won't be mad."

The world blurred around everything but her and I forced each knife out of my throat. "I have to break my pinky promise."

Sakura's eyes widened and her hand fell limply away from my cheek. "What," she asked in a choked whisper.

"I have to break my pinky promise."

She shook her head numbly then said, "I don't understand, Sasuke, stop it, it's not funny."

I watched her eyes fill with crystalline tears and my heart broke. Her pain hurt a thousand times worse than mine.

"I can't be your friend," I said in a choked voice.

"But why," she asked, confusion and pain lacing her words.

I shook my head and softly whispered, "I can't."

"This is a nightmare," she murmured, covering her face with her hands. "I'm going to wake up now at home, then I'll call you and you'll ask if I want to come over and play video games and soccer."

My heart panged as I touched her cheek one last time, then I turned to walk away. My throat burnt and my hands shook. I felt her gaze on my back but I forced myself not to turn back.

"Sasuke!" I heard a desperate, but beautiful voice shout.

I gritted my teeth and I pushed out of the hallway and into the sunshine. Then I ran. I ran blindly and faster than I ever thought I could. I pounded down the streets and past houses. I made it to my house in record time and sprinted up the stairs. I ran into my room and slammed my door shut, then locked it. I ignored my mother's voice calling my name and fell to my knees.

Then it all crashed down on me. What had I done? My shoulders shook as I slumped to the ground and lied there. No more Sakura? The idea was too difficult to grasp. Sakura had always been there. I can't remember when she wasn't. My brain couldn't encompass it.

So I lied there, mourning the half of my soul I had hacked off and thrown away.


	11. Her Breakthrough

**Well this is total crap. It really is. I can't write in Sakura's point of view for my life unless it's in the ninja world. But, oh well. Just to let you guys know, this is a repeat of what happened to Sasuke, but through Sakura's point of view. I needed to put this in the story so it would flow better.**

**The ending is turning out rushed and it's frustrating me because I have writer's block on how to make it better. I'll stay faithful though, and finish it out to the best of my ability because that's what all you amazing readers deserve.**

**Disclaimer: Now, if I owned Naruto, why the hell would I freaking write fanfiction? I mean, seriously. If I owned Naruto, there would be pink haired little uchiha girls running around. There would also be Hyuugas with blond hair. If you guys catch my drift. :3**

**Love you all, sorry for the crappy chappie!**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>Kiba intertwined his fingers with mine and I smiled up at him. He had just asked me out, moments ago. I had been in the bio room and he had motioned me out through the window. When I went out, he had asked with that scruffy grin, "Ya wanna go out?"<p>

This is what I had been waiting for, for a month. Why did I feel so empty? Something was missing… Something wasn't right… I could feel it in my gut.

I was shook out of my thoughts when I felt Kiba's soft lips brush my cheek. I blushed and smiled, but my gut twisted. It didn't feel right.

Where was Sasuke? I shouldn't have left him like that in the Bio room, but Kiba had been outside waiting for me…

I flicked my hair to the side and stood on my tippy toes, searching for the jet black hair. What would he think when he found out about Kiba and I? He would probably be happy for me. My throat constricted at the thought and I angrily shoved those thoughts away. What the hell was wrong with me? I have a hot new boyfriend! I should be jumping for joy!

Finally, I found Sasuke. He was standing frozen with a pained look in his eyes. His fists were balled into fists and his jaw clenched and unclenched repeatedly. I grinned when I caught his eye and the twisting in my gut stopped. I ran over to him and wrapped my arms around him.

I always loved hugging Sasuke. I always felt safe in his arms with his piney scent. But for some reason, this time felt different. I could hear his heart thumping quickly and I frowned. What was wrong?

"What's wrong, Sasuke," I asked with worry coloring my voice.

"Nothing," he murmured. He was looking at something over my shoulder and his eyes hardened.

"Hey, Sasuke," Kiba said nonchalantly.

The atmosphere seemed to become colder and I nearly shivered. "Hn," he snapped.

"Still socially awkward," I teased, trying to make him smile. He turned his eyes back on me and they started to twinkle again. God his eyes were beautiful. Wait… What? Where the hell did that come from?

"I learn from the best," he retorted.

I stuck out my tongue and grinned, glad that the cold feeling had gone away. "Come on, we're going to sit with everyone."

Sasuke's eyes glazed over as he looked over at our table. He looked back at me and forced a completely fake grin. "I gotta go take a test."

I felt my smile falter and I wondered why he was upset. I would ask him later when Kiba wasn't here. "Do you have to," I asked hoping he would change his mind.

Something flickered in his eyes and he shook his head. "See you later." With that he turned and started to walk away. I stretched a hand out to call him back but let it fall. I watched him walk till he rounded the corner and I sighed. The instant he left my sight, my stomach started to twist and turn again.

"Hey, you ok?" Kiba asked, looking at me with concern.

"Mhm," I replied with a grin.

He nodded and smiled as I led him over to the table where we all sat. Neji looked really pissed. I raised an eyebrow at him but he was too busy glaring at Kiba to notice. Ino looked angry too. She was death glaring Kiba and I wondered if he would spontaneously combust. Tenten looked torn between being happy and a little sad. I wished Hinata wasn't sick. She would have calmed everyone down by now. Why they were spazing in the first place, only God knows.

"Hey," I said, sliding into my usual spot. Kiba sat in Sasuke's and suddenly, I felt sick.

"You ok, Saks," Tenten asked with concerned brown eyes.

"Yeah, Ten, thanks."

Ino was still glaring at Kiba and he shifted uncomfortably. I sighed and reached over and flicked Ino in the forehead.

"OW!" she shrieked.

"There's something wrong with your eyes, they're glaring at Kiba and I'm sure you wouldn't _mean_ to do that."

Ino grumbled something and picked at her salad.

Tenten brightly smiled and said, "So Kiba, what position do you play on the team again?"

"Forward," he replied with a relieved grin. Tenten and Kiba started an animated conversation about soccer while Ino and Neji cast murderous glances in his direction.

I watched Kiba as he talked. His spiky brown hair stuck up in a cute way- scruffy but hot. He had a tanned face with a big grin that seemed to always be flashing. He was very handsome, but when I looked at him, all I could see were onyx eyes and silky black bangs.

"Saks, you sure you're fine?"

"What? Oh, yeah," I said quickly.

Ino quickly stood and clamped her fingers around my arm. "She probably needs some air, we'll be right back." With that I was dragged away. I looked at Kiba pleadingly. He had a crooked smile on his face- almost wistful. Neji was grinning in approval and Tenten looked worried.

Ino pulled me around a corner then stopped and turned to face me. "Saks, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean, Ino," I asked, trying to look over her shoulder. I resisted the urge to smack some sense into that pretty little blonde head of hers, but something that had been in her eyes when she dragged me over here told me to take this seriously.

"Is Kiba really your prince charming?"

"What," I asked, suddenly turning to face her. Her blue eyes stared at me solemnly as she continued.

"Is he the guy you call at midnight when you have a bad dream? Is he the guy that you talk on the phone for hours with? Is he the guy who you have a ton of stupid little inside jokes with? Is he the guy who knows every single little detail about you, down to your favorite clothing brand? Is he the guy you know absolutely everything about and understand even better than yourself? Is he _your_ prince?"

I felt my eyes glaze over as memories washed over me.

"_Sasuke…" I felt my voice waver as the memory of the dream replayed constantly in my head. There was a pause and then, "What's wrong? Are you ok? Do you need me to come over? Are you alone? Are you safe? Are you-" "I'm fine," I said in a choked whisper. Another pause. "Ok," I heard Sasuke say. Then he began to talk. He told me about the stupidest things and made me laugh. I didn't have to say a single word, he just kept talking to me. His gentle and deep voice began to wash away the fear and a few hours later, I had almost forgotten the dream entirely. "Sasuke?" "Yeah?" "Thank you?" There was a pause and then, "Anytime, pinky."_

_I looked at Sasuke then back at the present in my hands. It was wrapped in my favorite shade of light blue in a flat box. I looked up at Sasuke again and his face looked a little strained. "I didn't put a time bomb in there." I grinned, then slowly lifted the lid off the box. Inside was a small leather album. I took it out and gently opened it. I gasped and looked into the faces of the two five year olds looking at the camera. A small girl beaming with chubby cheeks and long pink hair with bright sparkling eyes. She had her arms around a small boy who seemed to be smirking at the camera. His floppy black hair hung around his small face and framed his bright, black eyes. I looked up at Sasuke who looked nervous as I flipped to the next page. It was us at our kindergarten graduation. I continued to flip and found that it was a timeline. Our first day of middle school with Sasuke's expressionless face and my excited grin. Me and Sasuke at our first high school soccer game in our green jerseys. The last picture was one his mom must have taken. We were sprawled out on the couch/bed in his room. I had fallen asleep and my head was lolling on Sasuke's shoulder. I was wearing his old sweat pants and an old jersey of his. He was asleep as well and his head was leaned against mine. We looked peaceful and happy, a small smile played on our lips as if one of us had told a joke right before we drifted off to sleep. I looked up and Sasuke had clenched his hands in his lap. "If you don't like it, I can get something else-" I flung my arms around his neck and smiled into his chest. His voice faded off and he wrapped his arms around me. "Happy Birthday, blossom."_

_Blossom was what he called me every once in awhile, staring in first grade when I had showed him a cherry blossom tree. He had scooped up one of the pretty pink flowers with chubby fingers and handed it to me. "I'll call you blossom, sometimes, because you're hair reminds me of the blossom!" I had grinned and replied, "Alright, Sasuke!"_

I blinked and looked at Ino who was smiling at me knowingly. I put my back against the rough wall behind me and slid down it. "How could I have let this happen," I murmured to myself.

"I'll ask again, Sakura," Ino said gently, kneeling down beside me, "Is Kiba your prince?"

I shook my head slowly as my stomach unclenched and relief flowed through my body. "No," I whispered, shaking my head. I finally admitted it to myself. I had loved him for a long time. Now, I realized all the nervous feelings that bubbled when he was around- was love. I am in love with my best friend.

A few tears slipped down my face and I stared at the dark splotches on the ground in surprise. I hated crying. It's pointless and weak and furthermore, it solves absolutely nothing.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong," Ino asked while rummaging through her backpack for tissues.

"He's never going to love me back."

At this, Ino's head snapped up and disbelief burned in her blue eyes. "Are you fucking serious?"

I glared and angrily swiped at my eyes. "Yes!"

"Oh my God, Sakura."

"What?"

"He fucking worships the ground you walk on! He follows you around like some lost puppy! And you know, you are the only one he truly tolerates and doesn't Hn excessively at. You're fucking blind!"

I glared and snapped, "No he doesn't!"

Ino sighed and thumped me across the back of my head. "Yes, he does. He's in love with you, he just hasn't figured it out."

I looked away and closed my eyes. The image of Sasuke staring at me and Kiba flashed behind my eyelids and I examined it closely. There was a flickering emotion in his eyes I hadn't seen before. Had it been… love?

I stood up and brushed off my jeans while stretching. "Well even if he does love me, I'm not going to do anything about it."

"What nonsense is spouting from that mouth of yours?"

"I said, that I won't do anything about it," I said as I ran my fingers through my bangs.

Ino stared at me with utter disbelief and whacked me over the head. "Have you been drinking? Are you on crack? Are you on mother fucking crack? Do you knnnow what crack does to your brain Sakura? Answer me! Oh my God, it's gotten so bad you can't speak!"

My brain bounced around my skull as Ino shook my shoulders violently. "Ino… You… Are… Killing… Me…"

"Oh."

The grip was released and I fell back, doubled over wheezing. "If there's anything at all wrong with my brain, it's because of you and your tendency to shake me senseless!"

"Sorry," Ino muttered.

"I'm not going to do anything about it, because if he truly likes me, he'll tell me."

Ino's eyes softened and she nodded. "Alright, it's your call."

I smiled at her then grabbed her arm and started to drag her back to the table.

"Ow! You little asshole, this hurts!"

"It does, doesn't it?"

Ino grumbled something and I slid to a halt in front of the table. Kiba looked up at me with a knowing smile and said, "You wanna talk, don't you?"

I bit my lip and nodded. He stood up and we walked side by side till we were out of sight of the table. Kiba turned and faced me with a sad smile. "Did Ino knock some sense into you?"

My eyes widened but I nodded softly.

"I knew it," he murmured. "You know when I fell in love with you?"

I bit my lips guiltily, but he continued. "It was when you came to one of Sasuke's practices. You said something and he started to chase you around with his water. You were laughing and smiling at him with these sparkly green eyes. You wanna know what I thought?"

I nodded softly gazing up into his eyes. He smiled and said, "I thought that I wanted you to smile at me like that. That I wanted your eyes to sparkle when you looked at me."

He shook his head and continued, "But I knew that you belonged to him. I still tried though, to my credit, but I was fighting a lost battle."

I stepped forward and gave him a hug, wrapping my arms around him tight. I felt his arms wrap around me and he rested his chin on my head. It felt nice, but I didn't get the same feeling like when Sasuke hugged me.

I pulled back and looked up at Kiba. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have led you on-"

Kiba shook his head quickly and said, "No, how could you have known? It's not your fault."

I nodded hesitantly and said, "Kiba, can we be friends? Like, really good friends?"

Kiba smiled and nodded. "I think I'd like that."

The bell rang and we smiled at each other. "Let's get to class."

I nodded and we walked side by side into the hallways. We reached my Statistics class and Kiba held out his arms. I gave him a hug and whispered, "Thank you."

"No problem," he said with a grin. I gave him a small smile, but my mind was on Sasuke. How would our friendship be now? Would I have wrecked it by feeling this way?

I felt eyes on me and I turned to see him. His hands were clenched tight again and his face was strained. His eyes were dark and I recognized pain as one of the dominant emotions swirling through them.

I immediately jogged over to him and gave him a big hug. I felt his body tense, then he wrapped his arms around me. He held me tight, like it was the last time and I frowned. He pulled away and I noticed that he had gritted his teeth. "Sasuke, what's wrong?"

"Sakura," he said quietly, "I have to break my promise."

I looked at him confused and touched his cheek. Whatever it was, it was really eating at him. "It's alright, Sasuke, calm down. Which one? I won't be mad."

"I have to break my pinky promise."

Everything seemed to freeze and ice crusted over my heart, making each beat painful. I watched my limp hand fall away from his cheek and I felt it thud against my body. "What," I asked in a choked whisper. Little icicles seemed to be embedding themselves in me.

"I have to break my pinky promise."

What would it be like without Sasuke? I couldn't imagine it. No anchovy pizzas and raisinettes to buy. No soccer practices with just us. No violent movies and trips to the ice cream store. He must be joking. He couldn't mean it. He couldn't burn away twelve years of friendship. Hell, I couldn't even remember a time without Sasuke.

"I don't understand, Sasuke, stop it, it's not funny." I felt my eyes fill with tears but I didn't mind as much right now. Not when half of my heart was about to be ripped off.

His eyes flickered and he said in a choked whisper, "I can't be your friend."

"But why?" What had I done to ruin the friendship? Was it something I said or did?

"I can't," he whispered back desperately.

"This is a nightmare," I murmured, covering my face with my hands. "I'm going to wake up now at home, then I'll call you and you'll ask if I want to come over and play video games and soccer."

I felt his warm fingers gently touch my cheek and I looked up. He gave me an anguished look before turning and walking away. It was like in those nightmares when you wanted nothing more than to scream and shout and run after someone but you were frozen. I watched with disbelief as he wove away through the crowd.

"Sasuke!" I shouted, hearing the desperation in my own voice.

He walked out of the hallway doors and I felt as if a half of me had gone right with him.


	12. The Effect

**I seriously love all your guys' sweet reviews. They mean the world to me and I get a warm fuzzy feeling whenever I see that I have a bunch of new emails that will contain alerts from you faithful readers. The story is winding up now, but we're not done just yet. There will be another chapter, then two epilouges. I'm considering doing a bonus where I pair up the buddies as two tiny chapters. Tell me if you guys would like that... I would do it when I finished the story and they'd be labled as the pairing.**

**Disclaimer: After writing this story, I kinda want my own Sasuke... Is that sad? ^.^ But, Sasuke doesn't exist and I didn't invent him, because obviously I have no claim to Naruto.**

**Again, love to all you incredible readers.**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>The wall was brown. Brown was a plain color. A boring color. Not like green. Not like emerald, vibrant green. Stop it. Stop it now.<p>

I sighed quietly and continued to stare at the wall. It had been about two days since I had entered my room. My fridge kept me stocked and I was too empty to be bored. Right now, I should be at the soccer park with Sakura. We'd take turns being goalie and volley back and forth to each other. Then, we'd go to Ben and Jerry's and buy ice cream.

Familiar jabs of pain converged upon my chest and I gritted my teeth while I waited them out. When the last one faded, I forced my mind blank but it didn't work. There she was. Pink hair breezing through the air, ivory skin, minty green eyes with that happy sparkle. She wouldn't leave. No, she stayed in my head haunting my every thought and feeling.

I waited once again for the pangs to cease and eventually they did. But only for a moment. They never left for more than a moment. They came back and crushed every thought in my head that wasn't about her.

I'm in love with her. I know it. I don't know how I had managed to be so oblivious. But, I was too late. She didn't deserve to have a leech sucking away at her life for his own selfish reasons. Then I would be no better than one of her fanboys. No, she was better off without me. She had him. He would be the one to take care of her, wipe her tears, make her laugh.

I wanted to yell. I wanted to shout. I wanted to run out of this room as fast as I could till I reached her side. I would wipe away the tears I knew she would be crying and hold her. I'd tell her that everything would be fine. But that wasn't an option. That was his job now. And he better damn well be good at it or his ass was in for a kicking.

My phone vibrated and I mechanically turned to look at it. This must have been literally the hundredth time it rang. I watched it quiver and shake then fall silent. I knew what would happen if I answered it. I would hear Naruto's voice rage at me for messing up my chance. I would hear Neji's voice snap that I had made a terrible mistake. I would hear Ino's voice shriek at me to fix the mess I made. I would hear Tenten rant at me for breaking her heart. I would hear Hinata plead with me to go see her. They wouldn't understand. Her heart would heal. I knew it. It would heal because of him nurturing it. She would develop a hate for me and she would stay in her new position in life with her new love. It was all for the best, because Sakura Haruno doesn't love me. And she didn't need another fanboy.

"Sasuke, come on, you're not a hermit crab from petsmart, get your ass out here."

I turned and looked at the door. Any other moment and I would have laughed at my dad's voice floating through the wooden barrier that separated us. But now, I didn't crack a smile. My face was emotionless. I could feel it. There was no way my face could express the feelings ripping through my chest, so it stayed empty. Except for my eyes. I had looked in my bathroom mirror and felt surprised when I saw my eyes. They looked like they belonged to a man experiencing torture. They were filled with raw pain and a desperate plea. They raged and roared of anguish and longing. That had been the first time I almost smiled since I entered my room. I liked my eyes. They told the truth.

"Sasuke, what happened? Did you accidently spill bleach on your hair and turn into a blondie? Cause if you did, I promise not to tease after the first thirty days."

I continued to silently stare at the door as I heard a fist bang against it. "Sasuke, where's Sakura? She would be here… Did something happen to her?"

My breath froze solid in my throat and dropped into my lungs. Yes, I tore her heart to shreds and ground it into powder.

"Your friends came by again."

They had been coming repeatedly and I could hear them bellowing downstairs. They even came by my door and screamed, but I never heard the words. I had turned up my Ipod and blared music till their words didn't even register as a low whisper.

"Sasuke, if you don't come out, I'll call a fangirl and supply her with your baby photos." I would have shuddered if I was capable of it, but I just didn't care anymore. Nothing mattered. Everything was empty. There was no meaning.

"Sasuke…" I heard him sigh and heavy steps padded away and down the hall. I turned back to my wall and continued to stare at it.

Suddenly I heard noises up against the side of my side of the house. I heard metal clanking and it suspiciously sounded like someone clawing their way up the drainpipe. I stared at my window wondered when it gained the ability to swear violently.

Blonde hair flashed above the sill, then went back down again. The blonde hair came up again and this time it stayed, along with a face. Naruto Uzamaki stared at me with worried bright blue eyes and I watched as he clumsily fumbled with the window, trying to open it.

On its own accord, my body stood and walked over to the window. I watched hands unlatch it and slide it open. The crazy blonde heaved both arms over the sill, and then tumbled in, none too gracefully.

"And I stuck the landing," he muttered against the carpet. I remembered the urge I had felt to smack him and call him dobe when he said things like that, but now I was empty and I merely looked at him.

He rolled over and looked up at me and his eyes seemed to sadden. "Damn, Sasuke, you look like you're living in hell."

I felt my lips twist into a sour and sarcastic smile, "I am."

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><p>"Come on," I said desperately, "Saks, you can't let yourself turn into some shell!"<p>

Her head turned to me and her pink hair swayed with the movement. I caught my breath as I saw the empty orbs that had once been sparkling and glowing eyes. They had flickered and shone with life and love. But now, you would never know the feeling they had once held. They were so empty and dead. They were dull and only one emotion lay in them like a twisted demon. Raw. Pure. Pain.

"Ino, you don't understand," she whispered in that fragile voice. I winced and nearly closed my eyes. Her voice was so frail and fragile. It was beautiful as it always had been but now it was fragile and painfully soft. Her voice had always been filled with grins, jokes and laughter. It was an embodiment of her strength and confidence. Now it was a sign of her fading vitality.

"Sakura! You can't let yourself fade away into nothing! People need you! I need you!"

I felt tears prick my eyes as she stared at me listlessly. "He doesn't need me," she whispered, turning away, "He doesn't need me. He doesn't want me either."

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. What had Sasuke done? Sakura only shook her head and clenched her tiny fists till they were white as bone when I asked and Sasuke was impossible to talk to at the moment. One second Naruto was grinning and telling me about how Sasuke had figured it out while I was giggling and telling him the same about Sakura. The next, Sakura was crying like an empty husk in an empty hallway and Sasuke had locked himself in his room for what seemed like the rest of eternity.

I watched Sakura's eyes glaze over as she stared out the window of her room. She lay sprawled out across her grey comforter in her room in a pair of Sasuke's baggy gym shorts and t-shirts. One thing I was sure about was that wherever Sasuke was, he was going through just as much hell as she was. They needed each other. They were as precious as air to one another. It was as if they were an extension of each other, working together as one in perfect harmony. Now, the machine had been ripped apart and I was terrified that it may be beyond repair.

I sighed and shook my head. I had to trust that somehow it would all work out, because, without one another, they would fade into robots. Not seeing or feeling anything, living in memories. I stood up from the edge of Sakura's bed and said, "Ok, Sakura, what do you want for lunch?"

She looked at me as if to say, are you kidding? Then she turned back to face the wall and whispered, "Nothing."

I glared and snapped, "You are eating if I have to shove the food down your throat! What do you want?"

Sakura shifted on the bed and I heard her murmur, "Anchovy pizza and raisenettes."

I blinked at her till I remembered that was Sasuke's favorite food. "Sakura, you sure that's a good-"

"Please, Ino," she said softly.

I nodded and grabbed my purse. "I'll be back in a half hour."

She nodded and I walked out but paused in the doorway. "Sakura…" I started, not sure how to say it.

"You are one of the liveliest people I know. You were funny, sweet, kind, intelligent, athletic, loyal, and charismatic… It would be a shame to let all that character and life go to waste. While I'm gone… Can you try and get some closure, so you can keep on living? Because I miss you like hell and I'm pretty sure lots o clotf people do as well."

Sakura's eyes flickered for a second and my heart lifted. "Sure, Ino," she whispered and a strangled attempt at a smile was pasted on her face.

I smiled sadly but rejoiced because it was a start.

* * *

><p>I watched Ino's blonde hair sway before her pale hand shut the door. I sighed and rubbed my eyes, wishing that there were more tears in them. I felt so… so empty. It was like someone had sucked out a part of me and there was nothing but empty space where there had been life.<p>

I slowly pulled my shaking hand in front of my face and looked at it. It was pale and tiny. I thought that it was amazing that hand hadn't been shattered. It was so fragile that I would have been afraid to pick something up with it. Suddenly images flashed across my mind. The hand was fisted and strong, slamming into a volleyball with incredible force. The hand was wrapped tight around a racquet handle swinging through the air. The hand was holding a hard soccer ball it had stopped at the last moment.

My hand had done all of that. It had belonged to a strong and independent girl. I pushed myself off my bed and padded over to my bedroom mirror. Enormous green eyes stared up at me. They had black rings and crinkled lashes from tears. I looked into the wide eyes and studied them as if they were foreign to me. They were filled with pain. So much pain. There was hurt there too and a kind of lost look as if they were wondering if this was really and truly reality.

I ran my fingers through the shiny pinky locks and enjoyed the silkiness. I turned away from the mirror and walked over to my drawer where I pulled out a pair of soft shorts made out of sweat pants material. I also pulled out a light blue t-shirt with a smiley face on it. I always had enjoyed irony.

I slid out of _his _clothes and into mine. I picked them off the floor and walked down the hall to set them in the washer. I slowly walked down the stairs, carefully clutching the railing not trusting my empty and jerky body.

When I finally reached the door I slid on a pair of flip flops and stepped outside. The fresh air engulfed me and I breathed in deep, letting it fill and inflate my lungs. I began to take slow steps down the sidewalk, my particular destination in mind.

It hurt to breathe. Every breath was a sharp scrape of pain and my body shivered with it. My head pounded with my stuttering heart and each pound brought a new picture. Him laughing. Him grinning. Him rolling his eyes. Him giving me a fond smirk.

I missed him. I missed him so much that it hurt. Every part of me hurt. Every part of me ached. I wanted to run to his house and beg for him to be my friend again. I wanted to beg and promise that I would fix whatever I had done no matter the price. But I couldn't. I loved him enough to respect his wishes. I loved him enough to decide that if this was what made him happy, so be it.

I watched kids giggling and running down the street. In them, I could almost see a little girl with bright pink hair giggling and dragging a little smirking boy with black hair. They were best friends. I blinked slowly and they faded away into wisps.

I felt liquid fill my eyes and I turned my gaze in front of me once again. I sighed as the throbs of my heart brought more and more painful pictures.

* * *

><p>"What?" I snapped.<p>

Naruto was staring at me in disbelief. "She fucking broke up with him for you, dipshit! She dumped his sorry ass for you! Then you went all kamikaze friendship style and screwed everything up!"

I blinked and tried to soak it in. Sakura… loved me?

"She even admitted it to herself and then you went and told her that you basically hated her guts!"

I shook my head and stood. "Naruto, where is she?"

"She's been at her house in her room. Ino is taking care of her since she can barely move."

My heart throbbed and I sprinted for my door. I flung it open and ran down the hallway. I saw Itachi nearly fall over in shock when he saw me and I thudded down the stairs. My dad looked up from the book he was reading and his eyes widened. "Thank god, I thought we were going to smell rotting flesh any day now and that we'd have to break down the door. It would be a shame, I like that door."

I smirked at him and raced out of the house and down the street. I was going to fix it.

"Run to her, you jackass!" I grinned as I watched him sprint down the street at an incredible speed in the direction of her house.

"Isn't it run to her you, fool," Fugaku, asked, standing next to me.

"No," I replied, "He's a jackass."

Fugaku grinned and muttered, "Can't argue with that one."


	13. Pinky Promise

**Oh my gosh. This is it. This is the final chapter of Pinky Promise. Don't worry, the two epilouges and bonus chapters will still be put up, but... This is the conclusion to Sasuke and Sakura's story. I really enjoyed writing this story and I want to thank all of you for giving it a chance and putting up with my crazy brain's way of blowing off steam. I literally only expected maybe twenty or thirty people to read it. Now, I've got tons of people who subscribed to it and made it one of their favorite stories. On top of that, I got 50 reviews! How awesome is that? **

**I might do another highschool fic in a couple months or so, so just check back if you feel like it. It will be just as funny as I hope you thought this one was.**

**So again, thanks and I love you all.**

**Disclaimer: So I my Neji keychain has a extra konoha forehead protector charm on it and it fell off today. My reaction was somewhat like this: NOOOOOOOO! MY LIFE IS OVER! CRUEL, CRUEL DESTINY! Enter confused parents: Olivia, what's wrong? Are you okay? My response: NO! NOTHING WILL EVER BE OKAY! NEJI LOST HIS HEADBAND AND NOW HE CAN'T BE A NINJA EVEN THOUGH HE HAS THE BYAKUGAN! NOW HE CAN'T BE ON TEAM GAI AND TENTEN WILL HAVE CREEPY BABIES WITH CATEPILLAR EYEBROWS CAUSE HE'S NOT THERE TO BE SMEXY AND HE CAN'T BE IN MY STORIES TO MAKE SASUKE JEALOUS AND AND- Then my parents left. Surely to go make arrangements for me to be picked up by the whacky shack people. So yeah. I only own my slightly broken Neji keychain. NOT Naruto.**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>I frantically ran through the house, wildly shouting her name. "Sakura! Sakura!" I blew my blonde hair out of my eyes as I sprinted through doors. I glanced in the kitchen just in case where I had dumped Sakura's pizza and candy.<p>

Where had she gone? I was only gone for half an hour and in that half hour she decides to move rather than in the consecutive forty-eight hours I had spent here. Figures. My heart pounded with worry and I ran my fingers through my hair. I was about to break down and start sobbing.

Suddenly, I heard the front door bang open and my heart soared with relief. I ran into the living room crying, "Sakura, you scared the living blonde out of me!"

I stopped short when I saw Sasuke standing in the doorway, breathing hard. His eyes were ringed with black and his silky hair was disheveled and windblown. His face held the same kind of torture and agony that Sakura's had.

"Ino," he croaked, "Where is she?"

"I don't know," I began in a rush, "I left for food and when I came back she was gone! I don't know where she is or where to start looking and I'm scared half to death-"

"I know where she is," he said. With that he turned and ran away. I realized that my mouth was hanging open and I quickly closed it. I walked to the door and looked out. Sasuke was sprinting like an Olympic medalist down the street and I watched him turn the corner. I leaned my back against the doorframe and slid down it, settling my head in my hands. I had to trust that everything would turn out fine. After all, this wasn't my battle.

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><p>My lungs burnt as I raced down the street. I ignored it and tried to push my legs faster, even though I knew they couldn't go much quicker without it becoming humanly impossible. I knew exactly where she was. It's where I was planning to go when I left my room (because I would have had to at some point no matter how much I lied to myself).<p>

It wasn't to see her mom. No, she would have been too ashamed to if she thought that she had done something to ruin the friendship. She was going to the place where it all started to remember.

I skidded to a stop in front of the easy to climb mesh fence surrounding the elementary school. I thanked God that it was a Saturday and no one would call the cops on me for being a 'rapist'. I began to scale up the fence and I could see Sakura doing the same in my mind.

I let myself drop lightly on the other side of the fence and began to take slow steps. I had raced here but now I began to feel my heart stutter with apprehension. What if she hated me?

I paused in front of the willow tree's fronds and took one in my hands. I ran it through my fingers and I could almost hear two five year olds laughing and playing within the leafy depths. This tree had brought us together. It had changed our lives forever and without it, I would never have met the other half of me.

I took a breath and began to push through the thick green leaves. I broke into the familiar clearing and- there she was.

She was leaning against the tree trunk, her knees curled against her slim form. Her hair lay in a shimmering spray around her and her porcelain skin shone with dappled rays of light. Her face looked small to me. It was ivory pale and her large green eyes seemed to take up her whole face. They were filled with anguish and longing. They were ringed with black and they stared at me, glazed over. She was beautiful.

"I've finally gone crazy," she murmured in a small voice. "Now I'm seeing him when my eyes are open, too."

My heart clenched and I took steps forward as she continued thoughtfully. "You have my eyes. The empty pain filled eyes with black around them."

"Sakura," I whispered.

Her eyes widened and she murmured, "Now I'm hearing things as well."

She stood and I stopped advancing towards her. "Sakura," I whispered, "I-I-"

She stared at me confused.

"I'm sorry," I said, and I had never meant something more than that. "I'm sorry," I repeated, because it felt so damn good to say it.

She stared at me and took a step forward. Her hand extended and I was surprised at how small it looked. Her cool fingers brushed my cheek sending thrills throughout me and she gasped. "You're real."

Her hand fell away slowly and went back to her side. She turned away and whispered, "I'm sorry, Sasuke, I'll leave."

"No!" I nearly shouted, grabbing her hand and pulling her back. "No! Don't leave! Don't ever leave!"

She looked at me in confusion and asked, "What do you mean, Sasuke, I shouldn't be here, you don't have to be friends with me."

"No," I cried out and I stared her in the eyes before letting my emotions pour out and run rampant through my words. "You can't leave. Never. Never. Never. I can't live without you. I can't sleep, I can't breathe. It hurts so much. It's like someone vacuumed out half of my soul. I need you more than air. You are half of me and without you, I feel empty."

Her eyes were wide with shock and they held crystal tears. "What," she whispered.

"I need you," I choked out.

She shook her head and said, "But you said you-"

"Because I love you!"

Her eyes glazed over with shock and her coral lips parted. "You what," she asked, her voice cracking.

"I love you." I repeated, gazing into her eyes. "I love you and I thought I was going to be some fanboy chasing you around and that you didn't need me because you had Kib-"

"Sasuke!" she interrupted, her eyes burning. "I have always and will always need you, no matter what! You're the better half of me! You're the one who makes me happy! You're the one who makes me smile no matter what! You're the one who makes my heart pound! I… I…"

My heart stuttered as she whispered, "I love you."

I cupped her face and leaned forward slowly. Closer and closer till I could count her thick eyelashes and I could see the multicolored flecks of emerald and sage in her eyes.

Then, my eyes closed and finally, after twelve years, we kissed. Her lips were soft and smooth and seemed as if they were fitted for mine. The kiss was soft and gentle.

We pulled apart and looked in each other's eyes. I grinned and stroked her cheek. "Your eyes are sparkling again."

She laughed and leaned into my hand. "And you are smirking again."

I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close. "We're so dense," I heard her mutter.

"Mmm," I rumbled in agreement. "Just remember who said it first."

Sakura pulled back and rolled her eyes at me. I scowled at her absence and she beckoned me over to the tree. "Come look."

I walked over and kneeled with her beside the tree. There, carved in the bark in clumsy child lettering were two names.

"_Hey, Sasuke?"_

"_What?"_

"_Wouldn't it be cool if we carved our names in the tree?"_

"…_.Yeah, then people would know that it's ours!"_

"_Uh huh! Write yours first, then I'll write mine!"_

"_Kay!"_

I smiled at the memory as Sakura traced the carving with her fingers.

"Hold on," I muttered, pulling a pocket knife out of my pocket.

"Woah, it just got real, resident boy scout in the house."

I rolled my eyes at her and growled, "I was NOT a boy scout."

Sakura chuckled and nodded at the knife. "You gonna stab me with that?"

"Don't tempt me," I retorted.

She glared at me and I pressed a kiss on her cheek. Her eyes softened and she smiled. "So what are you doing with it?"

I grinned at her and turned to the tree. Next to the two names I carefully scratched in the letters _Sasuke-_

Sakura raised her eyebrows at me and asked, "Why the dash?"

I smiled and handed her the knife. "You have to finish it."

Realization dawned on her face and her eyes glowed. She wordlessly turned to the tree and carved in her part leaving it complete.

_Sasuke+ Sakura_

She laughed softly as I intertwined our fingers. "Perfect," she murmured. And I knew she wasn't just talking about the names.

"You know, I think it's time for a new promise."

She looked at me in surprise with delicate eyebrows raised. "What's wrong with the old one?"

I smiled and replied, "It needs updating."

She chuckled and replied, "I agree."

"How about this," I began, trying to memorize the moment, "I pinky promise to love you, forever."

Sakura's eyes widened and she grinned. She extended her slim pinky as she repeated the new oath. "And I pinky promise to love you forever."

"Promise?" I whispered as our pinkies intertwined.

"Promise." She replied with a soft smile.

I got the half of my soul back. I suppose that you would call her my soul mate. Our first pinky promise was the beginning of us. Now, we made a new one. Perfect for a new beginning.


	14. Epilouge 1: Forget the Paper

**Here is the first epilouge! It was suposed to be short and it is. It's real cute... XD The character pairings will be posted after a while when I'm done with the next epeilouge which will probably be up tomorow. The pairings will take place in high school and I'll tell you them now. I bet you all are gonna spaz. **

**Ino x Naruto**

**Hinata x Kiba**

**Ok, breathe. I know that NaruHina is INCREDIBLE and AMAZING but... For this story, KibaHina is WAY better. Believe me. And Ino Naruto will be damn adorable.**

**So again, thanks for sticking with me, I love that so many people enjoy my writing! :3**

**Disclaimer: Thank you all for your suport during my hard time as self apointed surgeon. The result was... I FIXED HIM! :D Well his head band really but still! I'm incredible. Screw med school, I'm like a freaking brain surgeon. So I now own a complete Neji keychain! :D Not Naruto... :.( I do not own Naruto, how sad...**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>"I want a cookie."<p>

"Hn."

"I want a cookie."

"Hn."

"I want a goddamn cookie and there will be hell to pay if you hn one more time."

"….Hn…"

SMASH BANG BOOM CRASH

"I want a cookie."

"I'll be right back…"

I could feel Sakura's smirk as I stood up and walked out of the room. I could also feel the egg sized bump forming on my head. I was whipped.

I flipped off Naruto as he snickered behind me, and then jogged out of the room to the kitchen for Sakura's daily dose of choco chip. We were at our apartment watching a movie and Naruto had invited himself over for the film. A violent film of course. We were about half way through it and Sakura was getting cranky because Naruto insisted on screaming "WATCH OUT DIPSHIT" in her ear whenever someone got shot. Someone getting shot was a common occurrence.

Hence the advil and vitamin water I grabbed for her as well as the stack of cookies. I slid out of our small kitchen and padded down the hallway. We were in a small college apartment. I was going to school for my MBA and Sakura for pre-med. We had both been accepted to the prestigious Konoha University due to our athletic prowess and we were both captain of the two soccer teams. Again.

I walked into the cozy living room Sakura had painted a light cream and plopped down on the blue denim couch beside Sakura. I turned my attention to the blood bath on our tiny TV screen and wordlessly held out the cookies, advil, and vitamin water.

I felt her little smile when she saw the advil and her favorite vitamin water flavor. It reminded me of when were in high school and I had sprayed her with whipped cream and apologized with pizza and candy. Sadly, we had a repeat of that performance a few months ago. It did not end well. The guy next door hasn't forgiven me for using him as a human shield. Neither have we agreed to pay the cosmetic and medical bill.

"Thank you," she whispered in that pretty voice.

I smirked and wrapped my arm around her, pressing my lips to her forehead. "You're welc-"

"WATCH OUT YOU DIPSHIT! HE HAS A MOTHER FUCKING MACHINE GUN!"

My eye twitched and Sakura stiffened. I reached around her and slammed my fist onto the top of Naruto's head. I smirked at the satisfying THUD and pulled Sakura tighter against me.

"Owwww…"

Sakura snickered and snuggled closer into my side. "Don't you have a paper to write," she murmured with a cute yawn.

"Mmm," I replied watching her eyelids flutter.

She flicked my stomach and chuckled. "Seventeen years and you are still as anti social as when I met you."

"But you love me anyways."

Sakura yawned again and I held her closer. "Yeah, I love you a little _too_ much."

I smiled as I watched her drift off to sleep. Pink wisps framed her heart shaped face and her eyelashes brushed her cheeks. Then I remembered something.

My head snapped up to see Naruto with that constipated smiley thing your friends do when they try and embarrass you when you're with your significant other. His face was all squished up and yet he still managed to smile in that infuriating manner.

"You're dead, tomorrow."

"Awww," he said in a hushed whisper which for Naruto was more like a slightly loud inside voice.

My glare automatically multiplied by ten billion as Sakura shifted but stayed asleep. "You. Wake. Her. Up. And I will tell Ino that you were the one who beat up her cousin when you thought he was a friend of hers."

Naruto's face paled and he silently stood up and backed away to the door with his hands in the air. Then he turned and quickly dashed out the door, taking great care to shut it softly.

I smirked and looked back at the sleeping angel in my arms. Screw the paper, I wasn't moving anytime soon.


End file.
